FIRING LINE: Is Congress fit to cast the first stone?

By Robert B. Roque, Jr.

Garnering a lot of views on YouTube recently is a video clip of Atty. Harry Roque, Jr. — the former spokesperson of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte — going off on the House leadership and its members for stripping Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio of P650 million in confidential and intelligence funds for 2024.

I’m not going to rant about that since I don’t think either of Inday Sara’s offices needs that much in secret funds or any of it. But I do respect the position of Atty. Roque and his candor in criticizing the very House of Congress to which he belonged back in 2016 and 2017.

And so, for the first time, I agree with the points that he raised. The brilliant former human rights lawyer’s outburst against the House Appropriations Committee and Congress is not just an unexpected revelation; it’s a much-needed call for accountability and transparency.

Although his rant is premised on deploring congressmen’s united stand to deprive his political ally, VP Sara, of these secret funds, Atty. Roque’s words hit the bullseye of hypocrisy within the system. Undeniably, the use of “confidential funds” in Congress often lacks proper oversight.

He knows so because he experienced it as a party-list congressman representing Kabayan. These funds, he said, meant for supplies and travel, often end up as lump sums given in cash with minimal documentation. “P700,000 a month ang tinatanggap natin diyan — cash!” he exclaimed. And all that it requires is the congressman’s signature on a certification, not liquidation. It’s a glaring misaccounting of taxpayer money that has been wide open for misuse since the 17th Congress, so he claims.

Roque’s assertion that the focus on stripping offices of secret funds appears politically motivated is hard to ignore. Singling out VP Sara while maintaining this practice across the board is, indeed, hypocritical.

If we’re discussing the allocation of funds, then let it be a comprehensive and fair discussion. Suppose confidential funds are to be redirected for a noble cause like securing and protecting our sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea. In that case, it should apply universally, encompassing all congressmen’s extraordinary expenses. Roque’s point, though surprising, resonates as a call for equity and fairness in the system.

In addition, there’s this revelation quoted by Duterte-supporter and influencer Sass Rogando Sasot from a retired Commission on Audit division chief that the P1.6-billion fund of the House of Representatives, which is labeled as “extraordinary expenses” in the national budget, is a significant cause for concern. This fund is supposedly in the disposition of Speaker Martin Romualdez.

The mere label makes it easier for such funds to be utilized with minimal supporting documentation, circumventing the scrutiny of traditional confidential funds. And putting this virtually in the hands of Romualdez, a cousin of the President, makes it even more alarming because it raises questions about transparency and accountability.

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