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MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the President has remained the top spender of confidential and intelligence funds in 2023 amounting to a total of P4.56 billion, according to the annual report of the Commission on Audit. 

“The Office of the President remained to post the highest amount of confidential expenses, maintaining the same level as last year,” COA said in a report released recently.  

The government has hit all-time high in its confidential and intelligence funds spending in 2023 with over P6.028 billion in intelligence funds and P4.415 billion in confidential funds bringing the total expenditures to P10 billion – some P643 million higher than the 2022 record of P9.757 billion. 

The OP spent P2.25 billion and P2.31 billion on confidential and intelligence funds in 2023, according to COA.

Confidential funds are budget allocated to surveillance activities of civilian government agencies to support their mandate or operations. 

Whereas intelligence funds are allocated for intelligence information gathering of uniformed and military personnel as well as intelligence practitioners whose work has direct impact to national security. 

Various government agencies have also utilized big confidential fund expenditures. Rallying behind the OP is the Office of the Justice Secretary with P683 million, followed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency with P500 million and the Office of the Vice President with P375 million.

The rest of the confidential funds spenders include: 

• National Intelligence Coordinating Agency – P127,413 million
• National Security Council – P90 million
• Department of National Defense  – P78,921 million
• Department of Interior and Local Government – P75 million
• Department of Finance – P61 million
• Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity – P49.5 million
• Department of Foreign Affairs – P35 million

As for intelligence funds, the Department of National Defense trails behind the OP with P2.25 million followed by the Philippine National Police with P936,597,000.

The rest of the intelligence funds spenders include: 

• NICA – P522,709 million
• Philippine Coast Guard – P10 million
• Department of Justice – P100,000

Since last year, lawmakers have been scrutinizing the OVP’s use of its confidential funds. Congressional hearings have revealed alleged misuse of public funds justified by supposed anomalous documentations such as fictitious names in acknowledgement receipts, unreadable signatures and 

The alleged misuse of the confidential funds also led some groups to file impeachment cases against Duterte.