ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro promised to scrutinize the proposed P150 million confidential fund for the Department of Education.

“Instead of slashing the confidential and intelligence funds for 2024, the Marcos administration even increased it. From P10.022 billion this year, the proposed CIF for 2024 is P10.142 billion or almost P120 million more,” Castro said.

The lawmaker said she wants to know how the DepEd spent its P150 million confidential fund this year.

“We will scrutinize the CIF along with different aspects of the proposed 2024 budget. Lubog na nga ang bansa sa utang at napakaraming mga social services na dapat pondohan pero mas inuuna pa ang pork,” the lawmaker said.

She decried the giving of “presidential pork in the form of CIF to “agencies with no business in intelligence gathering or law enforcement.”

“The Office of the Vice President again is proposing P500 million in confidential funds and the Deped is asking for another P150 million confidential funds, all under the control and discretion of the vice president, even if the Commission on Audit flagged her use of funds,” Castro said.