ON the raging national issue on INTELLIGENCE FUNDS dominating both the print and and TV outfits of the country for the last few days, Short Cuts is pressured to reprint his February 16, 2020 column.
This is done if only to inform the valued readers and fellow Boholanos that as early as 2020 this government fund had been “enjoyed” by high ranking officials in government.
Not only national officials “enjoyed” the budget. Provincial and municipal executives were recipients, TOO!
And, here it goes . . . . .
How intelligently used are intelligence funds these days by heads of the different departments or units in government?
This is a query so easy to comprehend, yet too difficult to provide a credible answer.
But as a starter, it must be known that intelligence funds in government is basically, an amount set aside by government to pay informers who divulge the activities of enemies of the state such as criminals and Muslim or communist secessionists.
Another query: Are provincial executives also provided with intelligence funds?
In the affirmative, governors are entitled to the use of intelligence funds while in office.
Can a governor share such intelligence funds with his vice-governor and with his board members?
This is another query worth close scrutiny by the intelligent minds of every probinsyano.
It is because in Short Cuts’ long term in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan under five (5) sitting governors, he had a very close and cordial exchange of ideas with other Board Members of Region VII and that of the whole country.
In one of the national conventions of the League of Provincial Lawmakers in Manila which Short Cuts was in attendance, a fellow board member and convention speaker made mention of his provincial governor sharing his intelligence fund with the vice-governor and the Board Members of his province.
To Short Cuts’ honest observation, such a disclosure by a fellow board member was indicative of a governor’s spirit of a shared responsibility in governance so with government funds.
Short Cuts was filled with admiration on the type of attitude of the concerned governor.
To the extent that it was imprinted into Short Cuts’ mind that upon arrival to his station from the convention, he has to request his governor to share a portion of his intelligence funds with the vice-governor and his board members of the province.
In that way, the governor is NOT left ALONE in getting intelligence report on enemies of government!
With ten (10) regular members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and three (3) ex-oficio members and one vice-governor, there will exactly be fourteen (14) of them in the province who could compare notes with the governor on the intelligent reports from their respective sources.
Unexpected of an answer, the governor had a curt “NO”upon hearing of the Senior Board Member’s request.
The simple alibi?
“If I have a hard time in complying with the Commision on Audit requirement, the more that it becomes harder with fourteen others to be subjected for the audit” was governor’s explanation.
Maybe the governor was not aware that we in the convention were informed that intelligence funds are not subject to any audit or scrutiny by the Commission on Audit.
Up to these days, intelligence funds are still very far from the scrutinizing and wide-open eyes of the COA.
But recent events had it that the use of intelligence funds of the government is now undergoing study. It has come to the attention of many that these funds are the easy and very intelligent way of one to become rich.
To the Philippine Senate in giving an eye to this particular malpractice, KUDOS! Everyone is looking at you for this.
