The controversial confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) in the ₱6.793 trillion national budget for 2026 fell slightly by about ₱302.2 million, Cabinet officials confirmed Monday.
Acting Budget Secretary Rolando Toledo said CIF allocations now stand at ₱11.8 billion, down from ₱12.12 billion in 2025.
“Bumaba actually by around ₱302.2 million iyong confidential/intelligence fund. It’s for the total,” Toledo noted.
Despite repeated calls for abolition due to secrecy and lack of transparency, Toledo stressed that CIF spending remains subject to monitoring under a joint circular of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Commission on Audit (COA).
Nearly half of the ₱11.8 billion allocation, or about ₱4.5 billion, was set for the Office of the President. Executive Secretary Ralph Recto defended the reporting process: “I think it’s transparent in the sense that the OP reports directly to the Senate President and to the Speaker of the House. So the OP submits reports to the House of Representatives and to the Senate President and to COA.”
Officials maintained that oversight mechanisms are in place to ensure accountability in the use of CIF.