Given the way Filipino politicians squander public funds, there’s very little hope the trend to waste taxpayer’s money for intentions contrary to good governance will continue. As the national budget balloons yearly, the country’s debt also inflates all the more as interests on loans increase.

It’s not hard to picture how taxes are spent extravagantly by people in the government whose level of morality and ethics has become an indispensable aspect of why graft and corruption, despite public protestation, has continued to magnify.

For 2023, the President has proposed P1.4 billion as provision for his travels. That figure is nearly 50 percent of the P2.5 billion damage typhoon ‘Egay’ inflicted. Considering that allotments are approved annually, it is safe to assume that in the entire six-year term of Bongbong Marcos, the public coffers have to cough up around P10 billion for the President’s, official or otherwise.

But even larger is the confidential and intelligence funds (CIF), an appellation adopted to cover what is suitably known as “legal corruption” given that the funds are not audited and as theallocation suggests, is hush-hush. For 2024 along, the total CIF will hit P10.14 billion.

Sen. JV Ejercito was right in asking if the CIF has become the vogue?

CIFs are chiefly allowed, as a matter of common sense, for law enforcement agencies whose functions have something to do with the country’s internal and external security. But today, even the departments with no obligation towards the maintenance of peace and order are celebrating their newfound privilege of having CIFs to spend.

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) are asking for P500 million and P150 million, respectively. That’s a lot of money that can be used for purposes other than law enforcement. Given Sara Duterte’s salivating intent to become the next president, having CIFs that grow fat by the year, building partisan bases in the next five years becomes a free ride. And if she does not want to use it for early political drive, the money can be used for social services that are sure to draw attention to her future presidential agenda.

Of course, Sara will also celebrate and romp in the knowledge that she has P712.44 billion, the second-biggest proposed allocation next to Department of Public Works and Highways’ budget, in 2024 to run her education department. Mucho dinero, as they say.

CIFs, for clarity, are associated with surveillance to support an agency’s operations, particularly intelligence expenses for information-gathering activities related to national security involving the military, police, and other uniformed personnel, and intelligence agencies.

Any which way we look at it, the OVP and the DepEd do not belong to the classification.

For good reason, it is sound that CIFs allotted for the two agencies be instead diverted for use by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), and the Presidential Security Group (PSG).

CIFs, whichever way you want it viewed, is the counterpart of what the lawmakers received as “pork barrel.” Has it ever alerted you that as a result of projects designed to become sources of corruption, the two chambers of legislature have earned the ignominious titles as House of Representa-thieves and Tong-gress? Recently, while listening to a popular vlog, the commentator labeled the lower chamber as the ‘House of Alligators,’ a far more insulting sobriquet.

Corruption has become so ingrained that public reaction to the fiscal abuses committed has become passive. And if someone accuses public servants of squandering people’s money, he is subjected to serious legal threats. To counter the menace, perhaps it’s time we relaunch the first Aquino admin’s civil disobedience against Marcos’ cronies. This time, the defiance will be in form of non-payment of tax and a national day of protest led by honest government employees.  (AVF)