INTELLIGENCE FUNDS of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will now be subject to state audit, the Commission on Audit (CoA) chief yesterday said, setting aside a long-established practice of keeping auditors at bay when it comes to accounting the budgetary item.
"We are set to meet with AFP officials [yesterday afternoon] to discuss the audit of the intelligence funds," Maria Gracia Pulido-Tan, CoA chairperson, said in a press conference in Quezon City yesterday.
The audit comes after the AFP voluntarily opened the funds to scrutiny. A Department of National Defense panel investigating alleged corruption in the military has recommended CoA review of the fund.
Intelligence and confidential funds are not subject to regular audit requirements.
Ms. Tan said she will personally lead an audit team to ensure confidentiality.
"We will keep this confidential. People of trust and confidence will be responsible for the audit," she said.
She also commended the AFP "for coming out with expression of support. We hope other agencies will be like that. It will make our jobs easier.
In a related development, House Bill 4127, or the proposed Intelligence and Confidential Funds Transparency Act, has been filed by Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro A. Casiño, Jr.
"[Lack of audit on intelligence funds] has rendered these funds open to the misuse and abuse of those who are charged with the utilization of these funds granted to numerous government agencies, usually the generals closest to the Commander-in-Chief," he said in the bill’s explanatory note.
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