Confidential and intelligence funds from a taxpayer's perspective

It seems like everybody who's anybody has been so awfully preoccupied with the issue of confidential and intelligence funds, and rightfully so, as we the people need to know and be confident about how taxpayers' money is spent.

- PIA ROCES MORATO

In the midst of this crisis and the fast approaching holiday season, some people who still seem quite confused, not to mention detached from politics, have now become eager to understand exactly why such funds are needed and why they are so important, especially for national security purposes.

Simply put, confidential funds are more often than not used for special reasons that cannot be publicly disclosed that would otherwise compromise its purpose; an example of which would be on matters that surround national security concerns that provide funding for intelligence agencies and counterterrorism as well as emergency relief efforts and undercover operations that could eventually require arrests of high-profile targets.

A friend of mine, Mon Abrea, known as the "Tax Whiz," explained how such funds work in the most efficient and simplest way possible for people who seem to be fully invested on the issue. In his column, Mon explained that, signified by a resolution in 2015, the Commission on Audit and the Department of Budget and Management, all allocations of confidential and intelligence funds must be supported by a physical and financial plan, detailing the proposed amounts for each program, activity or project. Once such funds are allocated, these go through a very meticulous reporting process to the COA as well as key legislative leaders.