Marcos seeks P4.58-B confidential funds for 2027

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang is seeking over P10.158 billion for 2027 — an amount that’s just over a third of its current 2026 budget and over two-thirds of its 2025 budget. The dramatic drop between 2026 and 2027 is because spending for the Philippines’ chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was lodged under the Office of the President (OP), and is broken down based on the various agencies involved in the preparations related to hosting different meetings and the summits under the regional grouping. The 2025 budget had also included allocations for ASEAN chairmanship preparations. “We are asking for less while remaining fully prepared to do more,” Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, a former legislator himself, said during the OP’s budget briefing before the House committee on appropriations on Tuesday, September 1. The OP budget, as usual, was not subjected to scrutiny at the committee level because of the long-standing tradition of extending “institutional and interbranch courtesy” to the OP as a co-equal branch. Scrutiny of the OP’s budget, if any, usually only begins at the plenary level. House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio pointed out that over half of the OP’s budget, some P4.58 billion, is allocated for confidential expenses. Tinio, and later impeachment spokesperson House Assistant Minority Leader and Representative Renee Co, opposed the observance of parliamentary courtesy, citing public interest in the use of public, including confidential, funds. Tinio noted that the OP’s confidential funds use should be scrutinized the same way that Vice President Sara Duterte’s past confidential funds use is being scrutinized, both in the public and before the impeachment court. Within less than 16 minutes after Recto’s briefing, legislators from both the minority and majority voted to waive questions on the OP budget at the committee level, citing parliamentary courtesy. This was after a motion was made to terminate the hearing, with only five panel members voting in the negative. At 10:29 am, the committee hearing for the OP’s budget officially ended, which means less than an hour had passed between the start of Recto’s briefing and the OP budget’s approval. Priorities But what exactly are Marcos’ priorities for 2027 under his own office? Based on the National Expenditure Program for 2027, some P4.58 billion is allocated for confidential expenses (P2.25 billion), extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses (P20.77 million), and intelligence expenses (P2.31 billion). Confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) have been under the spotlight of late, especially in the context of erstwhile Marcos ally Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial. The proposed OP CIF for 2027 is slightly lower — by a few million pesos — than in 2026. The OP also wants over P1 billion for local/foreign missions and state visits, the same amount Marcos had asked in recent years. That budget covers both Marcos and his delegations’ trips overseas for official and working visits, and for hosting state visits in the country. After the vote to terminate the hearing, legislators manifested either their opposition to the waiving of questions or unequivocal support for Marcos and the OP. Panel senior Vice chairperson Bataan 2nd District Representative Albert Garcia assured lawmakers as well as civil society organizations that their queries and concerns would be relayed to the OP by the time the plenary deliberates on its proposed budget. – Rappler.com