ACT Teachers Representative and Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio hit the Office of the President (OP) for maintaining the single largest allocation of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) in the proposed ₱7.2-trillion 2027 National Expenditure Program, calling it a glaring contradiction to any claim of good governance.
Tinio highlighted that a staggering 44.9 percent of the OP’s proposed budget for 2027 is composed of secret funds, underscoring the extent to which the highest office in the land relies on opaque allocations.
Under the proposed budget, the OP is set to receive a total of ₱4.55 billion in secret funds—₱2.25 billion in confidential funds and ₱2.30 billion in intelligence funds—unchanged from 2026 levels. This single allocation accounts for a staggering 42 percent of the aggregate ₱10.773 billion in CIF across the entire government.
“Bakit halos kalahati ng buong confidential at intelligence funds ng buong bansa nasa kamay ng Office of the President? Alinsunod ba ito sa transparency at good governance?” Tinio asked.
The veteran legislator pointed out the glaring double standard in the current political landscape, where Vice President Sara Duterte is facing impeachment and intense public scrutiny over the misuse of confidential funds during her tenure as DepEd Secretary.
“Ngayon, nakasentro ang atensyon ng publiko sa impeachment ni VP Sara at sa pagbusisi sa kanyang confidential funds. Tama lang na panagutan niya ang mga anomalya. Pero hindi pwedeng may double standard. Kung siniyasat natin nang ganito katindi ang ₱612.5 million na CIF ng OVP at DepEd, papasa kaya ang Office of the President sa ganong klaseng scrutiny kung ₱4.55 billion ang secret funds niya at walang malinaw na pinagkagastusan na maipapakita sa publiko?” Tinio asked.
“Hindi lang naman ang OVP ang dapat sumailalim sa mahigpit na pagsisiyasat. Dapat pantay-pantay ang pamantayan. Kung ang ₱612.5 million ay inimbestigahan at naging batayan ng impeachment, paano pa ang ₱4.55 billion na pumapasok sa OP taon-taon na walang sapat na transparency?” he added.
Tinio reiterated his long-standing call for the total abolition of confidential and intelligence funds in the national budget, stressing that public funds must be fully transparent and subject to scrutiny.
“Yan naman ang panawagan natin ever since, na dapat i-abolish ang confidential and intelligence funds. Wala dapat confidential sa budget, dapat transparent lahat. May mga ibang paraan para pangalagaan yung security concerns sa paggamit ng pondo,” Tinio emphasized.
“Tapos yung pondo na yan ay gamitin para sa agrikultura, social services, education, and so on,” he added.
Tinio dismissed claims by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) that the funds remain subject to auditing and accountability rules, noting that the sheer scale and opacity of the OP’s secret funds make genuine public accountability impossible.
“The DBM can claim all it wants that these funds are subject to liquidation and auditing rules, but the reality is that the Filipino people are kept in the dark. ₱4.55 billion in the hands of one office, with no meaningful public scrutiny, is a recipe for corruption and abuse,” Tinio stated.
He also pointed out that the ₱4.55 billion hoarded by the OP alone could have been redirected to severely underfunded social services, education, and agricultural support—sectors that directly benefit the millions of Filipinos struggling with poverty and economic hardship.
“The people are reeling from record-high inflation, stagnant wages, and chronic underfunding of basic services. Yet Malacañang insists on keeping billions in slush funds that escape meaningful public audit. Ituloy na natin ang pag-abolish ng CIF at ibalik ang pondo sa mga tunay na serbisyo publiko,” Tinio ended.#
