MANILA — Members of the Senate will have to discuss confidential funds and the standards that the chamber will use to determine whether a government agency should receive them, Sen. Sonny Angara, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, said.

A committee of the House on Tuesday announced that confidential funds for some agencies — including the Office of the Vice President and the education and agriculture departments — would be reallocated to Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses or to assistance programs.

• House panel moves some confidential funds to publicly auditable items

"May opinyon dito ang bawat senador. Yung iba, gustong tanggalin. Yung iba, gustong bawasan. Yung iba, gusto andyan lang. So, we have to reach a consensus," Angara said in a news briefing on Tuesday.

He said matters are usually discussed in caucus before brought to the plenary floor.

Angara said that discussion on confidential funds will have to be done "agency by agency" and that the Senate must agree on standards it will use before granting them.

• Senate revives oversight panel on intel, confidential funds

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Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva meanwhile assured the public that senators will ensure that the 2024 national budget that they will pass, will be a well-examined one.

"We will scrutinize everything to ensure proud tayong lahat sa national budget na ating ipapasa bago magtapos ang taon," Villanueva said.

"May mga preliminary talks na with members of the Senate, including the concerns of the minority bloc, so may mga ground rules na naman. So, we will respect each other's positions, hear their proposals and we decide as an institution," he said.

SENATORS WANT CONFIDENTIAL FUND FOR DICT

Sen. JV Ejercito, meanwhile, said he would push for the retention — and even an increase — in the confidential funds for the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Department of Justice.

The House's Small Committee cut confidential funds for DICT but retained the allocation for the DOJ. The National Bureau of Investigation, which is attached to the DOJ, conducts surveillance in the course of its work.

The senator believes, that the two agencies also deserve to be given the funds "because this also pertains to national security and cybercrime, which victimizes thousands every day, specially the more vulnerable in the society."

Ejercito added: "Cybercrime is the new enemy of society."

Villanueva took the same position, saying "after the executive session with DICT officials for hours, I am convinced that we need to empower our cybersecurity measures."

He said that cybercrimes are rampant, making the allocation of confidential funds to the DICT a "no brainer for me."

• DICT chief laments shrinking confidential cybersecurity budget

PIMENTEL: OP SHOULDN'T HAVE INTEL FUNDS

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, meanwhile, said confidential funds for the Office of the President should be reduced and intelligence funds eliminated altogether.

"It is a civilian agency, which is not and should not be engaged in intelligence gathering, considering the workload of the OP," Pimentel said in a statement.

He said that with the tasks that the OP is already handling, its personnel would have no time to conduct surveillance and intelligence gathering.

"Leave that to the specialists in the field of intelligence," he said.

Senate President Zubiri has yet to issue a statement on the House panels reduction of confidential funds for some agencies, but previously said only agencies with defined confidential fund spending will be considered.

"Tama yun. That's the rule of budgeting. You show that you use the funds properly sa tamang panahon, sa tamang paraan at saka sa tamang layunin. At yun ang pamantayan ng Kongreso sa paga-allot ng budget," Angara said.