Marilyn Cahatol

Article (news)

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17882416369361788241634333.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. attends the Oath-Taking Ceremony of the Newly Promoted Generals and Flag Officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at the Ceremonial Hall inside Malacañan Palace on December 4, 2024. <em>Santi San Juan, PPA pool/File </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Office of the President received “institutional and inter-branch courtesy” from the House Committee on Appropriations, which terminated on Tuesday its deliberations on the OP’s proposed P10.15 billion budget for 2027 within less than an hour.</p><p>Of that figure, some P4.5 billion or nearly half is for confidential and intelligence expenses.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/8/11/marcos-admin-proposes-p10-77-billion-confidential-intel-funds-in-2027-budget-1928">Marcos admin proposes P10.77 billion confidential, intel funds in 2027 budget</a></div><p>During the House panel deliberations, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said the OP’s proposed 2027 budget is 64 percent lower than its 2026 budget.</p><p>“The substantial reduction reflects the lower operational requirements of our delivery units and the completion of activities related to the Philippines’ hosting of the ASEAN summit, for which no additional funding will be required next year,” Recto said.</p><p>He said the proposed 2027 budget would support cabinet meetings, policy consultations, presidential engagements, and official travels. It will also fund the daily operations of Malacañang, the OP’s 49 delivery units, and “help bring timely assistance to vulnerable families, and enable the government to respond swiftly in times of emergencies”.</p><p>“We ensure that every policy, meeting engagement, and official mission yields a public dividend, whether through jobs, investment, stronger national security, better public services, or more opportunities for our people. We recognize that public funds are not the government’s money. They are people’s money earned through their hard labor and entrusted to us in the expectation that the government will uplift their lives. That is why fiscal discipline and accountability remains central to the operations of the President,” Recto said.</p><p>The Executive Secretary noted that his physical presence at the House panel deliberations to defend the OP’s proposed 2027 budget is in compliance with the President’s directive to “respect the Congress’s mandate”.</p><p>“I am here not merely because our laws require the executive to defend its budget before Congress, which holds the Constitutional power of the purse, I am here above all in faithful compliance with the President’s standing directive: honor Congress, respect its mandate, and regard it as a full partner in advancing the welfare of our people, and protecting the national interest,” Recto said.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FabscbnNEWS%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0ham5dQNqjxRF5PQmmfhvijmC6pHdvuk3eR4Bbc5PfFRpEzyBB8zSvz8RSBECvYJVl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="250" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan and House Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez both moved to “extend institutional and inter-branch courtesy to the Office of the President” and to terminate the House panel deliberations on the OP’s proposed 2027 budget, even before any committee member could raise questions.</p><p>“On the part of the minority, I move that we extend the institutional and inter-branch courtesy to the Office of the President for the budget of fiscal year 2027 subject however to some manifestations by some members of the minority. I therefore move to terminate further deliberations and discussions on the Office of the President,” Libanan said.</p><p>“On behalf of the majority, we join the minority and move that the committee extend constitutional and inter-branch courtesy to the Office of the President and terminate further discussion and interpellation on its proposed fiscal year 2027 budget. I so move,” Hernandez also said.</p><div> </div><div><strong>&#x27;EXPLAIN CONFIDENTIAL AND INTELLIGENCE FUNDS&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>House Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio objected to the motion, stressing that the Office of the President should explain why almost half of its over P10 billion budget proposal for next year is for confidential and intelligence expenses.</p><p>He also called on the OP to answer the allegations linking the President and some former cabinet officials to the flood control issue.</p><p>“Dapat patas ang Kongresong ito sa application ng prinsipyo ng transparency. Lakas maka-demand ng Kongresong ito ng transparency para sa Office of the Vice President. Dapat ganoon din para rin sa Office of the President,” Tinio said.</p><p>“Lalo pa ngayon, dahil ang taumbayan gustong marinig ang paliwanag ng Office of the President sa pagkakasangkot ng Presidente at ng mga Cabinet officials niya mismo hinggil sa issue ng flood control. Kailangan magpaliwanag ang Office of the President kung bakit halos kalahati ng kanyang budget ay confidential at intelligence funds. The people want answers direct from the Office of the President,” he added.</p><p>But Tinio’s objection lost in the voting.</p><p>With 37 House panel members voting in the affirmative, 5 in the negative, the committee extended institutional and inter-branch courtesy to the Office of the President and terminated further discussion and interpellation on its proposed 2027 budget.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/27/gatchalian-reminds-dbm-government-must-be-prudent-in-use-of-confidential-funds-2128">Gatchalian reminds DBM: Government must be prudent in use of confidential funds</a></div><p>House Committee on Appropriations Senior Vice Chairperson Albert Garcia gave assurance that questions from House members will be answered “on or before” the House plenary deliberations on OP’s proposed 2027 budget.</p><p>In a chance interview after the budget hearing, Recto explained that the confidential and intelligence funds proposed by the Office of the President for next year are necessary to ensure national security, law and order. He noted that the OP received unmodified opinion from the Commission on Audit for three consecutive years.</p><p>“Number one, the President is the Chief Executive Officer. The President is the Head of State. So his first job is to ensure law and order, at diyan ginagastos ‘yung confidential funds,” Recto said. </p><p>&quot;With regard to intelligence funds, he is the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. ‘Yan naman ay napakahalaga for our national security. Like I mentioned earlier, ‘yung COA report ng Office of the President is an unmodified opinion, the highest opinion ever for all government agencies. So nakikita naman nila kung paano ginagastos ng OP ang CIF,&quot; he added. </p><p>He also said allegations on the flood control controversy are already being investigated by the Office of the Ombudsman, but as far as he knows, the President has no involvement in the supposed anomalies.</p><p>“Wala akong alam na may kinalaman ang Pangulo sa flood control, or Office of the President… I have no personal knowledge and that is being investigated by the Ombudsman,” Recto said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N7nRWxqACvc?si=9fFrHtrwZvtw0EzV" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>The Office of the President received “institutional and inter-branch courtesy” from the House Committee on Appropriations, which terminated on Tuesday its deliberations on the OP’s proposed P10.15 billion budget for 2027 within less than an hour.</p>

The Office of the President received “institutional and inter-branch courtesy” from the House Committee on Appropriations, which terminated on Tuesday its deliberations on the OP’s proposed P10.15 billion budget for 2027 within less than an hour.

House panel extends 'courtesy' to Office of the President, ends deliberations on proposed 2027 budget in less than an hour

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House panel extends 'courtesy' to Office of the President, ends deliberations on proposed 2027 budget in less than an hour

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 01, 2026 01:58 PM PHT

|

Updated September 01, 2026 02:27 PM PHT

Read More:

House of Representatives

Office of the President

2027 budget

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