The Senate will implement a strict policy prohibiting non-enforcement agencies from receiving confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) to prevent potential misuse in the proposed ₱7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, Senate President Win Gatchalian stated on Sunday.
In a radio broadcast, Gatchalian made clear that civilian entities will no longer be allocated these sensitive allocations under the chamber’s strict guidelines.
“We will not allow that agencies that have no business having confidential funds would be given these funds. As a rule, if you are not an enforcement agency, you are not the Armed Forces or uniformed personnel agency, then you shouldn’t have access to confidential and intelligence funds (CFIs),” Gatchalian said.
Following this standard, non-enforcement offices, including the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd), will not receive access to CIFs.
“Not only OVP and DepEd but the other civilian agencies as well. As a rule, we will not allow granting confidential funds to them. But if they insist and say that they really need it, then they have to justify them thoroughly and we will scrutinize their request,” explained Gatchalian, who previously led the Senate Committee on Finance during the tenure of former Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.
The Senate leader noted that bodies like the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) remain eligible for CIFs due to their inherent security and intelligence responsibilities.
He added that the Office of the President will also retain access to CIFs because the Chief Executive holds executive and enforcement authority.
“For example, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC): the very entity that dismantled the POGO operations—which serves as one of the President’s enforcement arms; we have seen how effective that is.
“There is also a presidential anti-corruption arm that gathers information regarding corruption; indeed, the office maintains such special units. These are the special units that require CIFs,” he said.
Gatchalian emphasized the Chief Executive’s position leading the armed forces.
“Furthermore, the President is the head of our military personnel—the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Consequently, the President requires intelligence and confidential funds, given that he is the supreme leader of all military and uniformed personnel,” Gatchalian stated.
The policy shift arrives as the Senate Impeachment Court continues to evaluate claims that Vice President Sara Duterte misused CIF allocations given to the OVP and DepEd during her leadership.
Commission on Audit (COA) officials previously flagged “unusual” recipient names linked to the confidential funds of both agencies and are contemplating a “fraud audit” into the expenditures.
State auditors further deemed the OVP’s spending of ₱125 million in confidential funds over an 11-day period “irregular,” citing a lack of required documentation to justify the underlying security operations.