De Lima proposes bill for transparency in confidential and intelligence fund spending

A bill has been proposed in the House of Representatives to lift the secrecy on the disbursement details of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) and to limit the CIF allocation to 10% of the agency’s budget. Former Justice Secretary and current ML party-list Representative Leila de Lima introduced the proposal under House Bill 1845, known as the CIF Utilization and Accountability Act.

According to the bill, all CIF information and documents will remain confidential but will become public once the Commission on Audit (COA) issues a Notice of Disallowance (ND) on a CIF disbursement. NDs are issued by state auditors when an expenditure is found to be irregular, unnecessary, excessive, extravagant, or unconscionable. The concerned agency can appeal the ND.

The bill also states that CIF allocations for any single agency should not exceed 10% of the total annual budget of the agency, unless explicitly authorized by law. It limits the allocation of CIF to agencies listed in the General Appropriations Act and to other agencies, departments, and units related to national security, peace and order, and intelligence gathering.

De Lima's proposal comes in response to reported misuse and malversation of confidential funds, including those appropriated to the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education. The bill aims to ensure that CIF are appropriated to justifiable activities and properly audited with transparency.

According to the source: GMA Network.