Guingona wants reforms in gov't practice of using intel funds

Amid the controversies hounding the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), Senate blue ribbon committee chair Sen. Teofisto Guingona III on Thursday sought reforms in the way government agencies have been handling intelligence funds. "Maliwanag na kailangan talaga ng reporma sa intelligence funds, hindi lang sa PCSO, kundi sa lahat ng government agencies... mula national government hanggang local government units," Guingona told reporters after Thursday's hearing on the alleged anomalies in the PCSO. Guingona said there is a need to change the state practice of only-liquidating-through-certification, wherein expenses are not itemized, making it hard for the Commission on Audit (COA) to determine where the intelligence funds were really spent. "Gumagamit sila ng pondo kahit wala silang tamang kapangyarihan na gumamit ng nito. Hindi dapat yan," he said. COA Commissioner Heidi Mendoza said they have yet to "touch" the intelligence funds issue since they assumed office. "We believe there is a need to revisit the [practice]. We need to consult a lot of agencies," she said. Earlier on Thursday, COA revealed that some P54 million of the PCSO's intelligence funds were not liquidated. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos confirmed that part of PCSO's intelligence funds were used by the previous board as blood money for several overseas Filipino workers (OFW) on death row abroad. It was also revealed that around P116 million of the funds were supposedly used against "bomb threats, kidnapping, destabilization and terrorism" in 2009. Senator Franklin Drilon, chairman of the Senate finance committee, said COA records indicate that P2.5 billion in intelligence funds were liquidated in 2010 by government agencies. The breakdown is as follows: GOCCs P533.4 million; national government P957.1 million; and LGUs P1.3 billion. In her privilege speech on Wednesday, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, chairperson of the Senate committee on revision of laws, said she is planning to conduct hearings in August for the possible amendment of the PCSO charter. — LBG, GMA News