MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the President (OP) will receive about P4.5 billion in confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) in 2026 under the General Appropriations Act signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday, marking the fourth consecutive year the office has received the allocation during his administration.
Budget documents show the OP’s CIF accounts for about 38 percent of the total P11.8 billion CIF allocated across government agencies for 2026. Budget Secretary Rolando Toledo said in a Malacañang press briefing that the total CIF for 2026 is lower than the P12.1 billion allocated in 2025.
Under the 2026 budget, the OP’s CIF allocation exceeds those of other agencies, including the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), which will receive P1.47 billion. The Commission on Audit (COA) has been allotted P10 million in CIF, while the Office of the Ombudsman will receive P51.47 million.
Toledo said the OP will use the funds in accordance with existing rules, including a 2015 joint circular issued by the Department of Budget and Management and the Commission on Audit. He added that the OP is required to submit reports on CIF utilization to the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said the OP reports its CIF use to the Senate president, the House speaker and the Commission on Audit.
Under government rules, confidential expenses refer to surveillance activities of civilian agencies, while intelligence expenses cover information-gathering activities of uniformed and military personnel related to national security.
