Why did DOJ’s confidential funds balloon by nearly tenfold in 2025?

DOJ. Acting Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida attends the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee probe on anamalous flood control projects on January 19, 2026.

Angie de Silva/Rappler

'Ano'ng kababalaghan ang nangyari sa 2025 na lumobo nang sampung beses ang confidential funds ninyo?' ACT Representative Antonio Tinio asks the DOJ

AT A GLANCE

• The Department of Justice (DOJ) experienced a significant increase in confidential funds, rising nearly tenfold from 2024 to 2025, prompting questions from lawmakers about the reasons behind this surge.
• In 2025, the DOJ's confidential funds reached P1.5 billion, with the majority allocated to the Office of the Secretary, while the agency's budget for 2027 includes a request for P364 million in confidential funds.
• Despite the confidential nature of these funds, the DOJ claims that all expenditures were fully obligated and liquidated in accordance with auditing guidelines, amidst ongoing scrutiny over the spending of government agencies.

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It’s regular for an agency like the Department of Justice (DOJ) to receive a chunk of confidential funds from the national budget.

After all, the DOJ houses attached agencies like the Bureau of Immigration, Bureau of Corrections, and the National Bureau of Immigration — offices that have mandates related to law enforcement and investigation.

But during the agency’s budget deliberations at the House of Representatives on Monday, August 24, ACT Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio quizzed DOJ officials regarding the sudden rise of the agency’s confidential funds in 2025.

Tinio specifically pointed out that the agency’s confidential funds grew nearly 10 times from 2024 to 2025.

“Ano’ng kababalaghan ang nangyari sa 2025 na lumobo nang sampung beses ang confidential funds ninyo? ” the ACT Teachers Representative asked. (What mystery happened in 2025 that your confidential funds ballooned 10 times?)

Confidential funds are used for “surveillance activities in civilian government agencies that are intended to support the mandate or operations of the said agency.”

Based on past General Appropriations Act (GAA), or the approved national budget, and the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), or the proposed national budget, the DOJ received its biggest confidential funds in 2025 with P1.5 billion.

Meanwhile, from 2025, the agency’s confidential funds were cut by almost half in 2026 to only P729 million. The lowest budget was posted in 2024, with P168 million.

The 2022 budget was prepared by the administration of Marcos’ predecessor, former president Rodrigo Duterte, in 2021. The Marcos government started preparing the budget from 2022 onwards.

Current Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla served as the DOJ secretary from 2022, until his appointment to the powerful Office of the Ombudsman in 2025. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Remulla in October 2025 to head the independent investigative body tasked to go after corrupt and erring public officials and employees.

Then-undersecretary Fredderick Vida took over as officer-in-charge, and later as acting secretary. An acting official is “deemed to be the incumbent of the position” and wields more powers.

For 2027, the DOJ is requesting a P46.435-billion budget for the agency and its attached bodies. This amounts to about 0.65% of the ₱7.2-trillion proposed national budget for 2027.

Of this proposed funding, the DOJ is seeking P364 million in confidential funds (or P364,846,000). The agency has no intelligence funds because it is a civilian agency.

DOJ’s explanation

Acting DOJ Secretary Vida gave the breakdown of their P1.5-billion confidential funds in 2025. They are as follows, with the Office of the Secretary getting almost 79% of the entire DOJ budget.

• P1.184 billion – Office of the Secretary
• P319 million – Witness Protection Program
• P15 million – Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking
• P5 million – National Coordination Center Against Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children
• P475,000 – Office of Cybercrime

Tinio then asked if the agency was able to spend all these funds.

“Base po sa records namin, opo (Based on our records, yes). Fully obligated and liquidated,” Vida responded.

Tinio, however, continued to press Vida about the spending. He asked how the agency disbursed the hefty amount.

“Dito po nakapaloob ang lahat ng activities. Of course, no’ng panahong pong ‘to, si Ombudsman, then-secretary Boying Remulla pa ang secretary. Pero base sa record namin, ito po lahat ay disbursed and liquidated pursuant to the COA (Commission on Audit) circular,” the acting DOJ chief explained.

(All of our activities are included in the funds. Of course, during that time, Ombudsman Boying Remulla was the secretary. But based on our records, all of the funds have been disbursed and liquidated pursuant to the COA circular.)

In 2025, the DOJ and its attached agencies were involved in high-profile, high stakes cases.

These included former president Rodrigo Duterte’s International Criminal Court case and the investigation into the missing sabungeros‘ case, among others. The DOJ was also in charge of bringing former lawmaker Arnie Teves home from Timor-Leste in 2025 to face his cases related to former Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo’s assassination.

The government is under scrutiny due to the confidential funds spending of its government agencies. Although they are confidential in nature, confidential and intelligence funds are still subject to audit.

COA’s Joint Circular No. 2015-01 provides the auditing guidelines for these funds. – Rappler.com