Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s office denied a news report that claimed he, along with eight other senators, voted to reinstate the ₱125 million in confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) for the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.
“We want to clarify that we did not vote in favor of any intelligence or confidential funds,” Estrada said during Tuesday’s plenary session. “We unanimously agreed to remove all CIF, not only for the OVP and DepEd but for all civilian agencies with CIF.”
Apart from Estrada, the report alleged that senators Robin Padilla, Christopher “Bong” Go, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Lito Lapid, Francis Tolentino, Cynthia Villar, and Pia Cayetano supported the reinstatement of CIF for the offices led by Sara Duterte.
The senators agreed to refer the investigation into the source of the report, which purportedly came from a closed-door meeting to the ethics committee.
Upon closer examination, we can see that these allegations have caused significant turmoil in the Senate. Senator Estrada and his colleagues vehemently deny voting in favor of the reinstatement of CIF and explained that they collectively endorsed the removal of such funds from all civilian government agencies.
This is a clear statement from the senators that they are working towards transparency and accountability in managing government funds. According to them, they did not support the return of confidential and intelligence funds and had valid reasons for removing them from all civilian government agencies.
The report appears to have originated from a private meeting, which the senators are questioning. They have expressed their agreement to bring the issue before the ethics committee to uncover the true source of the report and shed light on the matter.
This incident underscores the importance of transparency and accountability in government fund management. We must discover the truth and safeguard the integrity of the senators and their work for the nation.