MEMBERS of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and other progressive groups protested outside the House of Representatives on Wednesday as lawmakers deliberated on the proposed P10.16-billion budget of the Office of the President (OP) for 2027, questioning the allocation of P4.55 billion for confidential and intelligence expenses.
Bayan also criticized what it described as the ‘railroading’ of the President’s budget, arguing that an allocation in which nearly half would go to confidential and intelligence funds warranted greater scrutiny from lawmakers.
‘The hasty approval of the President’s budget is reminiscent of the Marcos dictatorship which reduced Congress into a mere rubber stamp institution,’ Bayan Secretary General Raymond Palatino said in a statement.
The protest coincided with the House plenary deliberations on the OP budget, which were terminated on Wednesday.
Of the proposed P10.16-billion allocation, P2.25 billion is earmarked for confidential expenses and P2.3 billion for intelligence expenses. Combined, the P4.55 billion accounts for nearly 45 percent of the OP’s proposed budget.
The amount is unchanged from this year’s allocation for confidential and intelligence funds.
The proposed OP budget itself, however, is substantially smaller than its P28.03-billion allocation for 2026.
Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia, who sponsored the OP budget during the plenary deliberations, said the proposed allocation is 64.02 percent lower than this year’s level, mainly because of the completion of locally funded projects related to the country’s hosting of Asean 2026.
Garcia said the P10.16-billion allocation represents only about 0.14 percent of the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget.
Bayan’s criticism focused not only on the size of the confidential and intelligence funds but also on what it described as questionable priorities in the proposed national spending program.
Palatino accused Malacañang and Congress of ‘collusion’ in embedding pork barrel and other questionable items in the proposed 2027 General Appropriations Bill.
He also pointed to more than P107 billion proposed for flood-control projects even as investigations into alleged irregularities involving infrastructure projects continue.
‘We should make sure that Marcos and his allies are not given new opportunities to legitimize the kickbacks they are getting from pork barrel projects,’ Palatino said.
Bayan also criticized what it described as inadequate government support for agriculture, health and education.
The proposed P107.4-billion flood-control allocation, however, is the lowest since 2019 and follows the removal of locally funded flood-control projects from the 2026 budget amid investigations into alleged anomalous projects.
The Department of Budget and Management has said the funding is intended largely for the maintenance, repair and rehabilitation of existing flood-control infrastructure and the completion of unfinished projects.
The administration has also defended the President’s confidential and intelligence funds.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto earlier said the President needs confidential funds in his role as chief executive, particularly in maintaining law and order, while intelligence funds support his responsibilities as commander in chief and on matters involving national security.
Malacañang has also maintained that the OP submits the required reports on the use of the funds to Congress and the Commission on Audit.
Government-wide, P10.77 billion in confidential and intelligence funds is proposed for 2027, down from P11.82 billion this year. Of the proposed amount, P4.37 billion is for confidential expenses and P6.41 billion for intelligence expenses.
The OP’s P4.55-billion allocation would therefore account for more than 42 percent of all confidential and intelligence funds proposed across the national government.
Bayan maintained that such allocations deserve closer congressional scrutiny, particularly as lawmakers examine a P7.2-trillion national budget amid continuing concerns over the use of public funds.