Proposed P10.142B in confi, intel funds higher than 2023 CIF by P120M

The confidential and intelligence funds proposed for next year actually total P10.142 billion, according to documents from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), higher than the "estimate" that the DBM announced on Wednesday.

It is also higher, by P120 million, than the P10.02 billion set aside for the CIF in 2023.

According to the Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing (BESF) uploaded on the DBM website, the administration has allocated P5.277 billion to intelligence expenses, and P4.864 billion to confidential expenses.

Asked on the confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) proposed for 2024 a day earlier, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said that P4.3 billion had been allotted to confidential funds, and P4.9 billion to intelligence funds.

Sought for comment, the DBM said the figures released on Wednesday, August 2, were mostly estimates.

“Estimates lang ‘yung kahapon. Stick tayo sa actual budget documents,” DBM Undersecretary Goddes Libiran said in a mobile message.

(Yesterday’s figures were just estimates. Let’s stick with the actual budget documents.)

The latest figure is higher than the P10.022 billion programmed in 2023, which the DBM earlier on Thursday attributed to additional funds for the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), and the Presidential Security Group (PSG).

The past National Expenditure Program (NEP) defines intelligence funds as those “related to intelligence information gathering activities of uniformed and military personnel and intelligence practitioners” having direct impact to national security.

Meanwhile, confidential funds are those “related to surveillance activities in civilian government agencies that are intended to support the mandate or operations of the agency.”

Broken down, the biggest share of the proposed CIF will go to the Office of the President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. with P4.51 billion. The Department of Agriculture (DA)—likewise headed by Marcos—is also set to get P50 million.

The proposed CIF also includes P500 million for the Office of the Vice President Sara Duterte, along with P150 million for the Department of Education (DepEd) which she also leads.

Other departments with CIF are the Departments of National Defense (DND) with P1.89 billion, the Interior and Local Government (DILG) with P906.62 million, Justice (DOJ) with P471.29 million, Information and Communications Technology (DICT) with P300 million, Finance (DOF) with P111 million, Foreign Affairs (DFA) with P50 million, Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) with P18 million, Transportation (DOTr) with P15.6 million, and the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) with P13.95 million.

Other executive offices have been allocated a CIF of P1.035 billion, the Office of the Ombudsman with P51.468 million, the Commission on Audit (COA) with P10 million, and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) with P1 million. — BM, GMA Integrated News