The Office of the President (OP) under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. emerged as the top spender of confidential and intelligence funds (CIE) in 2023, according to the Commission on Audit’s (COA) Annual Financial Report.
The report, according to an ABS-CBN report, showed that the OP spent a total of P4.57 billion on CIE last year, slightly surpassing its P4.51 billion expenditure in 2022. This amount includes P2.2 billion for confidential expenses, P2.3 billion for intelligence expenses, and P10.05 million for extraordinary and miscellaneous costs.
“The Office of the President remained to post the highest amount of confidential expenses, maintaining the same level as last year,” the COA report stated.
Confidential expenses are used for surveillance activities of civilian government agencies, while intelligence funds support information-gathering operations directly linked to national security. Both types of funds require approval from the President.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) ranked second among CIE spenders in 2023, recording P683.85 million in confidential expenses across its offices, including the National Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Immigration. The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency followed with P500 million.
Other notable allocations for confidential funds include:
- Office of the Vice President: P375 million
- National Intelligence Coordinating Agency: P127.41 million
- National Security Council: P90 million
- Department of National Defense: P78.92 million
- Department of Interior and Local Government: P75 million
The report highlighted that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) spent more on confidential funds than the combined allocations of the NICA, NSC, and NBI. Meanwhile, the House Committee on Good Government is investigating alleged misuse of the OVP’s confidential funds during VP Sara Duterte’s term in 2022 and 2023. Duterte, who faces impeachment complaints, has denied any irregularities.
In terms of intelligence funds, the OP spent the highest amount at P2.31 billion, accounting for 38.72% of the total P6.03 billion spent across all agencies. The Department of National Defense ranked second with P2.25 billion, followed by the Philippine National Police at P936.6 million and the NICA with P522.71 million.
Overall, the government’s CIE spending in 2023 reached P10.44 billion, an increase from P9.76 billion in 2022. While confidential fund spending rose by P570 million, intelligence fund expenses increased modestly by P100 million compared to the previous year.
Interestingly, both the Senate and the House of Representatives had no CIE allocations in 2023, as noted by the COA.
