OVP budget without confidential funds

There is no request for confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) in the Office of the Vice President’s proposed P785.20-billion budget for 2027.

Following the House Committee on Appropriations’ deliberations on the OVP budget for next year, chairperson Rep. Jose Alvarez confirmed the outlay does not have an allocation for CIF.

“None, nothing. So it’s up to the President if he wants to give confidential funds to the Office of the Vice President. That is his decision,” Alvarez told reporters.

This marks the third consecutive year the OVP’s proposed budget has not included a CIF, following Vice President Sara Duterte’s request for P500 million in confidential funds in her 2024 budget which was flagged and eventually disapproved.

Lawmakers and the public had opposed the allocation amid questions over the OVP’s handling of previous confidential funds.

The issue resurfaced after the alleged misuse of confidential funds was among the articles of impeachment in the ongoing trial of Duterte before the Senate.

Second-lowest budget

Aside from the absence of CIF, the proposed P785.20-million allocation would be the OVP’s second-lowest budget since Duterte assumed office in 2022.

Of the proposed outlay, P561.65 million will be allocated for maintenance and other operating expenses, P235.78 million for personnel services, and P3.32 million for capital outlays.

The OVP said a major portion of the budget would fund its various programs and activities, which aim to provide services to about 1.4 million Filipinos in 2027.

These include medical and burial assistance, disaster response operations, relief for indigents and individuals in crisis and emergencies, and the OVP’s “Libreng Sakay” initiative.