Confidential and intelligence funds should rather be given to government security agencies to boost the country's capability to defend itself, Senator Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito said Thursday.

"Personally, I would rather give those confidential and intelligence funds to the implementing agencies that are really in charge of our defense, national security, and anti-cybercrime [efforts]," Ejercito told reporters at the Kapihan sa Senado.

He noted that government security agencies could use confidential and intelligence funds for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to prevent China from occupying more features and islands in the West Philippine Sea.

"I think it's very vital to have intelligence funds because we were left surprised that there were already a lot of (man-made) islands in those disputed areas," he said.

"Hundreds of Chinese militia vessels are there, swarming. That is their strategy to claim the area. We were surprised one day they had already many reclaimed islands there," he added.

He continued: "Maybe because we were blind before. We did not have much necessary equipment back then."

Ejercito said the government should prioritize providing confidential and intelligence funds to agencies mandated to protect the country's sovereignty.

He said funds should be allocated to programs that would boost the country's revenues instead of allocating confidential and intelligence funds to government agencies that do not usually receive them.

"We are a third-world country. Our fiscal space is very limited. We're still reeling from the pandemic. We have to justify all spending. Money should be spent well," he said.

Citing an example, he said the government should allocate funding for infrastructure development.

"We have a lot of catching up to do compared to our ASEAN neighbors. Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam — all of them invested in their infra development in the 1990s," he said.