By Junex Doronio
THE BATTLE LINES ARE DRAWN with nine senators fully backing Vice President Sara Duterte’s “right” to her P650-million confidential funds for 2024 even as the majority of the 316 members of the House of Representatives have expressed support to the leadership of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.
Vice President Duterte and Speaker Romualdez are believed to be the main protagonists in the 2028 presidential race, with Senator Risa Hontiveros as the probable “third force” standard bearer of a “center-moderate left coalition.”
At least nine senators reportedly want VP Duterte to have P650 million in confidential funds back despite the House of Representatives earlier decision to channel it to other government agencies.
The “pro-Sara” senators were identified as Sens. Robinhood Padilla, Christopher “Bong” Go, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Jinggoy Estrada, Lito Lapid, Francis Tolentino, and Cynthia Villar.
To recall, in October the House of Representatives decided to realign the P650-million total of confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) to agencies involved in safeguarding the country’s security and sovereignty in the face of Chinese incursions and harassments.
“It is essential to understand that this decision was made for the benefit of the nation and not as a personal affront to any individual, including VP Duterte,” said the congressmen from different political parties that support the leadership of Romualdez.
Notably, the beneficiaries of the House’s realignment of the confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education include the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (P300 million), the National Security Council (P100 million), and the Philippine Coast Guard (P200 million).
(ai/mnm)
