Maharlika Fund, magiging fully operational bago magtapos ang 2023

INAASAHAN na magiging “fully operational” ang Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF), “very first sovereign wealth fund” ng Pilipinas  bago matapos ang taon.

Kumpiyansang ipinahayag ni Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno na ang Maharlika Fund bill,  matapos na aprubahan ng Kongreso noong nakaraang linggo, in-adopt ang bersyon ng Senado sa  bicameral conference committee meeting, ay nakatakdang tintahan ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. bago niya  ihayag ang kanyang pangalawang  State of the Nation Address (SONA) sa Hulyo  24.

Ang panukalang batas na ito ay nakatakdang “i-enroll at i-transmit para sa approval at lagda ng Chief Executive.

“Once enacted into law, We’re expected to prepare the IRR [implementing rules and regulations]. We’re expected to look for people to man the MIC [Maharlika Investment Corporation],” ayon kay Diokno.

Ang MIC,  isang government-owned company, ang mangangasiwa ng  sovereign wealth fund, MIF—”a pool of funds sourced from state-run financial institutions that will be invested in high-impact projects, real estate, as well as in financial instruments.”

“That’s the direction and I see this to be fully operational before the end of the year,” ani Diokno.

Nakasaad sa MIF bill  na ang Maharlika Fund  ay nilikha gamit ang “P50 billion mula sa  the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), P25 billion mula sa  Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) at P50 billion mula sa  National Government.

Ang kontribusyon mula sa national government ay manggagaling mula sa “Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ total declared dividends, National government’s share of the income of PAGCOR, Properties, real and personal identified by the DOF-Privatization and Management Office at Other sources such as royalties and/or special assessments.”

Sinabi pa ni Diokno na ang  MIF ay mayroong initial capitalization na  P75 billion  sa pagtatapos ng taon, manggagaling sa Landbank at DBP.

Winika pa ni Diokno  na ang  MIF bill ay nagbibigay ng “necessary safeguards” para panatilihin ang “transparency, accountability, fund integrity, at robust risk management.”

“We believe that the version crafted by our legislators will create a Fund that can accelerate investments in high-impact infrastructure and development projects,” ayon kay Diokno.

Samantala, kabilang naman sa mga pangunahing amyenda na ipinakilala sa panukalang batas ay “absolute prohibition of the use of funds from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), the Social Security System (SSS), the Philippine Health Insurance (PhilHealth) Corporation, Pag-IBIG, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and the Philippines Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) in the capitalization and investments in the Maharlika Fund.” (Daris Jose)