Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte defended the DepEd’s proposal to have P150 million in confidential funds, arguing that education and national security are intertwined.

Duterte stated that she is deferring to Congress’ decision on the DepEd’s request in a chance interview with reporters outside of the agency’s Balik Eskwela 2023 national kick-off ceremony at Tarlac National High School in Tarlac City, but she insisted that the department needs a confidential fund to fulfill its role in national security.

“Napakahalaga na we mold children who are patriotic children, who will love our country and defend our country,” Duterte said.

Both the Education Department and the Office of the Vice President (OVP) proposed a P150 million confidential fund.

The DepEd’s requested confidential fund of P150 million was not broken down by the Vice President. She claimed that a set of rules for the proper use and liquidation of the fund already exist.

“There is a joint memorandum circular with regards to the confidential fund. It is laid out there how to use the fund and how to liquidate,” Duterte said, apparently referring to Joint Circular No. 2015-01 titled “Guidelines on the Entitlement, Release, Use, Reporting and Audit of Confidential and/or Intelligence Funds” dated Jan. 8, 2015.

“Nakalatag din doon kung paano siya liliquidate and by its nature, its confidential funds so we cannot discuss kung paano siya ginagamit sa operations,” Duterte added.

The amount to be given to the OVP and DepEd is something that Duterte claims she leaves up to the discretion of Congress.

Confidential funds questioned

Last week, minority lawmakers criticized the “widespread” allocation of Confidential and Intelligence funds in the projected budget for 2024, which is estimated to be worth P10.14 billion.

The legality of CIFs, according to Rep. Edcel Lagman (Albay), “does not justify the enormity and widespread allocations of these secret funds” in the 2024 budget proposal.

Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers) claimed that the use of CIFs is improper because certain organizations have “no business” conducting surveillance.

Castro also questioned why the education department has to conduct surveillance activities.

She also called DepEd as “Department of Surveillance” due to the huge amount the department needed as Confidential and Intelligence funds.

“This is supposedly to monitor and put under surveillance students and teachers they suspect to be involved in illegal recruitment. Is the DepEd now a police or military agency that is conducting surveillance operations on students and teachers?” Castro said.

“Dapat pala siguro Department of Surveillance na ang tawag dito at di Department of Education,” she added.

Castro said the department should be focused on solving the learning crisis, providing adequate classrooms, and a substantial salary increase for teachers and hiring more teachers, not conducting surveillance.

Photo: DepEd Philippines FB