MANILA — House Speaker Martin Romualdez sees no quarrel with Vice President Sara Duterte on her proposed confidential funds, explaining that the House is taking advantage of her declaration to leave the matter to Congress.

"I think people are reading too much into it. I think it's very, very straightforward and simple. The CIF (confidential and intelligence funds) topic all came up and there were a lot of discussions and debates in the House and in fact even in the Senate," Romualdez said.

"Borrowing the words of the Vice President that even she says that she could live without it and she would leave it to the sound discretion of the Congress, for its proper disposition. Under the circumstances we felt that it would be best be realigned to the agencies and the department and the areas where we just mentioned that are a priority," he said.

• More confidential, intel funds for Coast Guard, 3 other agencies sought

Other congressional leaders explained that they are reviewing the confidential funds of all civilian agencies in the proposed 2024 national budget as they denied singling out any office.

In a speech, Vice President Sara Duterte explained the importance of confidential funds in ensuring peace and security and how those opposed to the surveillance funds are public enemies.

• VP Sara: Opposing confidential funds means opposing peace

Duterte, who is also the education secretary, proposed a total of P650 million in confidential funds for her offices in 2024.

"We are all for peace and security. We are all for that. We are in total agreement that the utilization of confidential and intelligence funds is to promote peace and security," Romualdez said.

"We would like to make sure the confidential and intelligence funds are most properly utilized by agencies and departments that are best suited particularly in these aspects of deploying the proper resources and personnel for the promotion of peace and security," he said.

Citing recent sea tensions with China, Romualdez said, "We have to look at the West Philppine Sea to provide more resources in these areas through the proper agencies and departments as we have earlier mentioned."

• Romualdez says realignment of secret funds under VP Duterte not politically motivated

The Speaker meanwhile downplayed a question on whether this development is part of a larger political chess game with Duterte as the country looks towards the 2028 presidential election.

The development comes after Duterte quit Romualdez's Lakas CMD party after the House demoted her ally former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from the senior deputy speakership.

It also followed the budget deliberations in the House that focused on the P125 million confidential fund used by Duterte in 2022.

Critics have hit how Duterte and the DepEd, along with other civilian agencies, were granted surveillance budgets when they were not tasked with security.

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