Camille Naredo

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the oath-taking of the new officers of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) at the Kalayaan Hall in Malacañang Palace, Manila, on October 7, 2025. Mark Balmores, PPA pool/File

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the oath-taking of the new officers of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) at the Kalayaan Hall in Malacañang Palace, Manila, on October 7, 2025.
Taking their oath before the President were San Juan City Mayor Francis Javier M. Zamora, LCP President; Echague, Isabela Mayor Faustino A. Dy V, LMP President; Rep. Joseph Sto. Niño B. Bernos, LMP President Emeritus; and Roxas City Mayor Ronnie T. Dadivas, LCP National Vice Chairperson. Mark Balmores, PPA pool

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MARCOS

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176760370935620251007-marcos-lcp-oathtaking-PPA-5.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the oath-taking of the new officers of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) at the Kalayaan Hall in Malacañang Palace, Manila, on October 7, 2025. Mark Balmores, PPA pool/File" width="960"/>President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the oath-taking of the new officers of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) at the Kalayaan Hall in Malacañang Palace, Manila, on October 7, 2025. Mark Balmores, PPA pool/File</div>MANILA — The total allocation for confidential funds in the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) was reduced to P11.6 billion from last year’s funding of P12.12 billion, Malacañang said on Monday, hours after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the Philippines’ P6.79-trillion spending law this year.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/5/marcos-jr-signs-p6-79-t-national-budget-for-2026-1008">READ: Marcos signs P6.79-T budget for 2026, vetoes P92-B unprogrammed funds</a></div>The Palace did not say why the allocation was reduced, but noted that the confidential fund of the Office of the President’s remains at P4.5 billion, similar to its allocation last year. “We just have to follow what is in the joint circular with the Department of Budget and Management and the Commission on Audit. We have to follow those rules and regulations,” Budget Secretary Rolando Toledo said in a press conference in Malacañang.“We need to report that to House of Representatives and Senate. It will be monitored accordingly,” he said.Different groups have been questioning why the Chief Executive and other non-military and non-intelligence offices are given confidential funds as audit requirements for these funds are not as stringent as other regular items in the budget.Confidential and intelligence funds — usually used for intelligence and surveillance operations — are given to offices in lumpsums instead of outlining specific programs on where it will be used.Executive Secretary Ralph Recto maintained that this allocation does not betray Marcos Jr.’s promise that this year’s national budget is more transparent that its previous iterations.“I think it is transparent in the sense that the OP reports directly to the Senate President and to the Speaker of the House,” he said.“The OP submits reports to the House of Representatives, to the Senate and the COA,” he said.Meanwhile, Malacañang said that it would strictly adhere to a provision in the GAA that prohibits politicians from being present in the distribution of any cash or financial aid to the public. “It’s the first time we have such a provision in the General Appropriations Act so subukan natin muna,” Recto said when asked if the provision was only cosmetic since patronage politics are not limited to distribution and pay out sites.Cabinet secretaries are expected to face the media in the coming days to thresh out the contents of their 2026 national budget as the Marcos Jr. administration continues to grapple its way out of a corruption scandal that shook the Chief Executive&#x27;s trust and approval ratings last year.

The total allocation for confidential funds in the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) was reduced to P11.6 billion from last year’s funding of P12.12 billion, Malacañang said on Monday, hours after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the Philippines’ P6.79-trillion spending law this year.

The total allocation for confidential funds in the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) was reduced to P11.6 billion from last year’s funding of P12.12 billion, Malacañang said on Monday, hours after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the Philippines’ P6.79-trillion spending law this year.

Confidential funds in 2026 budget drop to P11.6B, Palace maintains Marcos’ P4.5-B intel allocation

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Confidential funds in 2026 budget drop to P11.6B, Palace maintains Marcos’ P4.5-B intel allocation

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 05, 2026 05:02 PM PHT

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2026 budget

2026 General Appropriations Act

2026 GAA

confidential funds

intelligence funds

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