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Philippine peso bills. Gigie Cruz, ABS-CBN News

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PH PESO

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

<div><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">MANILA -- Even without any confidential funds for Vice President Sara Duterte, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.&#x27;s government is spending lower on intelligence expenses but slightly more on confidential funds in 2025.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">That&#x27;s according to the National Expenditure Program that the Department of Budget and Management submitted to Congress on Monday. The House of Representatives received the president&#x27;s budget in the morning with the Senate scheduled to receive it in the afternoon.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Overall, the government earmarked P5.9 billion for intelligence expenses – the spy funds of the military and uniformed branches of government. This is lower than the P8.267 billion in 2024.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Its civilian counterpart, confidential expenses, is at P4.36 billion, slightly higher than this year’s P4.111 billion.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Office of the President&#x27;s confidential expenses stood at P2.25 billion in 2025, unchanged from 2024. His intelligence expenses likewise retained its 2024 level at P2.310 billion.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Department of Education, which Duterte headed until last month, also had no confidential funds for 2025.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/10/23/duterte-gave-up-confidential-funds-after-pressure-from-public-analyst">Duterte gave up confidential funds after &#x27;pressure&#x27; from allies, public: analyst</a></span><br/><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/28/vp-sara-asks-sc-to-dismiss-petition-vs-p125m-confidential-funds-1631">VP Sara asks SC to dismiss petition vs P125M confidential funds</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has P13.95 million in confidential expenses for 2025, unchanged from 2024.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Department of Finance has P79.5 million in confidential expenses in 2025, also unchanged from 2024.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Department of Interior and Local Government is spending less on intelligence expenses, P806.02 million in 2025 from P906.029 million in 2025. Its confidential fund is retained at P100.6 million. It is the agency in charge of the Philippine National Police.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Department of Justice sees a bump in its confidential funds at P579.44 million in 2025 from P373.441 million in 2024. The National Bureau of Investigation is under this agency.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Department of National Defense, which supervises the Armed Forces of the Philippines, saw its intelligence expenses reduced to P1.761 billion in 2025 from P2.8 billion in 2024. Its confidential expenses retain its 2024 level of P87 million.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Department of Social Welfare and Development has confidential funds of P18 million in 2025, unchanged from previous years.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Department of Transportation, which is in charge of the Philippine Coast Guard, has a P400-million intelligence fund in 2025, unchanged from 2024. It has a P5-million confidential fund, retained from 2024.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Other Executive Offices have confidential expenses of P1.172 billion in 2025, slightly up from P1.171 billion in 2024. Intelligence expenses are down to just P640.2 million from 1.84 billion in 2024.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Commission on Audit has a P10-million confidential fund, unchanged from 2024. The Office of the Ombudsman has P51.468 million in 2025, up from P1 million in 2024. The Commission on Human Rights has P1 million in confidential funds, unchanged from 2024.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Aside from confidential and intelligence expenses, the government is also spending more on travel: P24.359 billion in 2025 from P21.843 billion in 2024. Of that amount, P1.054 billion is for the Office of the President alone--slightly lower than the P1.148 billion in 2024.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/7/29/dbm-submits-proposed-p6-352-t-national-budget-for-2025-to-the-house-1113">DBM submits proposed P6.352-T national budget for 2025 to the House</a></div>

<p>Even without any confidential funds for Vice President Sara Duterte, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.'s government is spending lower on intelligence expenses but slightly more on confidential funds in 2025.</p>

Even without any confidential funds for Vice President Sara Duterte, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.'s government is spending lower on intelligence expenses but slightly more on confidential funds in 2025.

Marcos admin seeks higher confidential funds, lower intel funds in 2025

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Marcos admin seeks higher confidential funds, lower intel funds in 2025

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 29, 2024 03:03 PM PHT

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Updated Jul 29, 2024 03:58 PM PHT

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