Marcos tops proposed 2026 confidential, intel fund; OVP again gets none

Biel Jose Catipon

Ferdinand Marcos Jr., through the Office of the President (OP), is set to get the largest share of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP), with Php 4.5 billion, unchanged since 2020, from the total proposed Php 10.77 billion.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) will again receive no CIF in the proposed 2026 budget, just like the previous fiscal year.

In 2024, the executive branch allocated confidential funds for the OVP, but the House denied the proposal due to transparency issues involving Vice President Sara Duterte.

The total proposed CIF for 2026 is lower than this year’s General Appropriations Act (GAA) by Php 1.35 billion, or 11.18 percent

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) held a press conference during the ceremonial turnover of the Php 6.793-trillion 2026 NEP to the House of Representatives on Wednesday, August 13.

“Ang breakdown po nito is confidential is 4.368 billion at ang intel po ay 6.398 billion pesos,” said DBM Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, explaining the allocation.

The budget secretary also noted that the Department of National Defense (DND) is set to be the second-largest share of the proposed CIF following the OP, with Php 1.848 billion.

“Other executive offices po [ay] maraming breakdown, kasama po kasi ‘dyan yung Anti-Money Laundering Council, Games and Amusement Board, NICA (National Intelligence Coordinating Agency), National Security Council, Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, Philippine Drug Enforcement [Agency], yung lahat pong ‘yon ay mayroong Php 2.292 billion,” Pangandaman added.

Other recipients include the Commission on Audit (COA), with an allocation of Php 10 million, and the Office of the Ombudsman, with Php 51 million.

House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson and Nueva Ecija 1st District Rep. Mikaela Suansing said that they will assess proposed CIF based on necessity, focusing on agencies and offices involved in national security or with police and enforcement powers, and that these criteria will guide the evaluation of all proposals.

“Titignan po natin…yung previous levels, yung trend analysis natin sa mga nakaraang taon, pero posibleng bumaba, posible ding ma-retain, posible ding tumaas,” Suansing added, referring to the possibility of adjustments to the proposed CIF based on the outcome of the deliberations.

In 2015, DBM, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), DND, Governance Commission for Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GCG), and COA issued a joint circular setting the guidelines for the use of CIF.

Based on the joint circular, confidential funds are lump-sum allocations for surveillance and related confidential expenses of civilian government agencies, as provided in the GAA, Local Government Unit (LGU) appropriations, or GOCC budgets, to support their mandate or operations.

Intelligence funds are lump-sum allocations for intelligence expenses of authorized practitioners, such as military and law enforcement personnel, for activities directly impacting national security.