Tinio slams secret funds under Office of the President

MANILA, Philippines — ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio on Friday called out the proposed P4.55 billion in secret funds under the Office of the President (OP), which he described as “the largest allocation” of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) in the 2027 national budget.

Under the proposed P7.2 trillion 2027 National Expenditure Program, at least 44.9 percent of the OP’s budget is allocated for secret funds: P2.25 billion in confidential funds and P2.30 billion in intelligence funds, according to the solon.

READ: Gov’t faces constraints in funding new 2027 projects

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“Why is nearly half of the entire country’s confidential and intelligence funds in the hands of the Office of the President? Is this consistent with transparency and good governance?” Tinio asked.

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The figure accounts for 42 percent of the government’s total P10.773 billion in CIF, he emphasized.

Tinio further said there should be no double standards among government offices, especially in the scrutiny of CIF, and mentioned the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Among the allegations against Duterte is the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and P112.5 million from the Department of Education (DepEd).

READ: COA docs show VP Duterte has always had secret funds – Chua

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“Right now, public attention is focused on the impeachment of VP Sara and the scrutiny of her confidential funds. It is only right that she be held accountable for the irregularities. But there cannot be a double standard,” he said.

“If we scrutinized the P612.5 million CIF of the OVP and DepEd this intensely, would the Office of the President pass that kind of scrutiny — given its P4.55 billion in secret funds and the lack of clear expenditures to show the public?” he added.

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Tinio reiterated his call to abolish CIF in the national budget, criticizing the Department of Budget and Management’s “claim” that it implements liquidation and auditing rules.

“The DBM can claim all it wants that these funds are subject to liquidation and auditing rules, but the reality is that the Filipino people are kept in the dark. P4.55 billion in the hands of one office, with no meaningful public scrutiny, is a recipe for corruption and abuse,” he stressed.

He said that the P4.55 billion in CIF should be redirected to “severely” underfunded departments, such as social services, education and agriculture, that serve the needs of the Filipino people.

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“The people are reeling from record-high inflation, stagnant wages and chronic underfunding of basic services. Yet Malacañang insists on keeping billions in slush funds that escape meaningful public audit. Let’s push through with abolishing CIF and redirect the funds to genuine public services,” he said. /das