MANILA – The Office of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is asking for P4.56 billion worth of confidential and intelligence (CIF) funds under the proposed P6.35-trillion national budget for 2025.
Based on the National Expenditure Program (NEP), the P4.56 billion is broken down to P2.25 billion confidential fund and P2.31 billion intelligence fund.
The NEP also stated that the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) also earmarked a P7.8-billion budget, which will support the Barangay Development Program of the anti-communist body.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has P13.95 million in confidential funds for 2025, while the Department of Finance has P79.5 million in confidential expenses next year.
The Department of Interior and Local Government has P806.02 million confidential funds in 2025, while the Department of Justice has allocated P579.44 million confidential funds 2025.
The Department of National Defense had intelligence expenses of P1.761 billion, while the Department of Social Welfare and Development has confidential funds of P18 million in 2025.
The Department of Transportation has a P400-million intelligence fund in 2025, the Commission on Audit has a P10-million confidential fund, the Office of the Ombudsman has P51.468 million, and the Commission on Human Rights has P1 million.
The government is also spending more on travel: P24.359 billion in 2025, with P1.054 billion is for the Office of the President alone.
According to Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, the total CIF under the proposed 2025 budget reached P10.2 billion, lower from this year’s P12 billion.
Pangandaman added that more confidential funds were allocated to government agencies for the coming year – P4.368 billion, up from P4.111 billion in 2024.
As for the intelligence funds, the DBM allocated P5.917 billion, lower than the P8.267 billion for 2024.
“Kaya po siya bumaba [ang CIF to P10.285 billion from 2024’s P12.378 billion], we just limited it to the departments and agencies na nangangailangan ng confidential and intel funds,” Pangandaman said./PN
