Malacañang defended the Office of the President’s request for confidential and intelligence funds (CIF), saying President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. needs the allocations as the chief architect of the country’s security and foreign policy.
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said the request, approved by the Department of Budget and Management, is necessary for the President’s duties as commander-in-chief.
”Ang tandaan po natin, ang confidential funds o ang pera ay hindi naman masama kung ginagamit sa tama. Ang confidential funds or pondo ay nagiging masama kung ginagamit ng isang corrupt iyon lang naman po,” Castro said.
The Marcos administration is proposing over P10 billion in CIF under the Fiscal Year 2026 P6.793-trillion National Expenditure Program.
The Department of Budget and Management said the Office of the President would get the highest CIF allocation at P4.5 billion, followed by the Department of National Defense with P1.848 billion.
Confidential funds cover sensitive government operations, including surveillance, while intelligence funds are intended for intelligence-gathering by the military, uniformed personnel, and other agencies tasked with ensuring national security.
