DBM sends ₱6.3-T budget for 2025 to House; ₱10B for confidential, intel spending

Metro Manila, Philippines — The Executive Department on Monday submitted the proposed ₱6.3-trillion budget for 2025 to the House of Representatives, including over ₱10 billion in confidential and intelligence funds (CIF).

According to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the ₱6.352-trillion spending plan is 10.1% higher than the current outlay of ₱5.768 trillion.

The DBM said the amount is 22.1% of the country’s gross domestic product, or the value of goods and services produced in the country in a year.

As mandated by the Constitution, education has the lion’s share at ₱977.6 billion, followed by public works at ₱900 billion, nearly ₱100 billion less than this year.

The allocation per sector are as follows:

+ Social services - ₱2.121 trillion

+ Economic services - ₱1.853 trillion

+ General public services - ₱1.083 trillion

+ Defense - ₱419.3 billion

+ Debt burden - ₱867.7 billion

‘Secret funds’

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the suggested ₱10.2 billion in CIF was lower by 16% from the current amount.

“Ang DBM ay nakatanggap ng kabuuang ₱11.39 billion, of which confidential is ₱5.22 billion, intelligence is ₱6.17 billion, na total proposal for CIF,” Pangandaman said.

“Subalit ang inaprubahan natin ay ₱10.29 billion, ang breakdown is sa confidential expenses, ₱4.37 billion and intel expenses ay ₱5.92 billion,” she added.

[Translation: The DBM received a total proposal for CIF of ₱11.39 billion, of which confidential is ₱5.22 billion, intelligence is ₱6.17 billion. But we only approved ₱10.29 billion, the approved is ₱4.37 billion for confidential expenses, and ₱5.92 billion for intel expenses.]

Based on guidelines issued by the Commission on Audit, confidential funds are for “surveillance activities in civilian government agencies” in line with their operations, while intelligence funds are for security-related “intelligence information gathering activities of uniformed and military personnel and intelligence practitioners.”

The CIF was a hot topic in budget deliberations last year after Vice President Sara Duterte’s spending of ₱125 million in confidential funds, although her office had no such budget last year.

The then education chief also requested ₱650 million in so-called secret funds for both the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education.

In turn, House leaders decided to allocate “zero confidential funds” to the OVP and the departments of Education, Information and Communications Technology, Agriculture, and Foreign Affairs.

The OVP still has no secret funds in 2025, according to the 2025 National Expenditure Plan document accessed in DBM’s website.

Meanwhile, the Office of the President will still have ₱2.25 billion in confidential funds and another ₱2.310 billion in intelligence funds next year. The document showed these were the same amounts since 2023.

Pangandaman listed the agencies with CIF next year:

+ Department of National Defense (Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, Philippine Navy, Office of the Secretary) - P1.8 billion

+ Philippine National Police - ₱806.03 million

+ Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency: ₱500 million

+ Department of Justice (Office of the Secretary, Bureau of Immigration, National Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Solicitor General) - ₱579.4 million

+ Department of Finance (Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Internal Revenue) - ₱79.5 million

+ Department of Transportation (Office of the Transportation Security, Philippine Coast Guard) - ₱405 million

+ Anti-Money Laundering Council - ₱7.5 million

+ Games and Amusement Board - ₱4 million

+ National Intelligence Coordinating Agency: ₱991.20 million

+ National Security Council - ₱250 million

+ Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Peace - ₱60 million

+ Commission on Audit - ₱10 million

+ Office of the Ombudsman - ₱51.4 million

+ Commission on Human Rights - ₱1 million