MANILA -- The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is seeking over P10 billion in surveillance funds for 2024, the National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted to the House of Representatives on Wednesday showed.

• DBM submits P5.768 trillion 2024 budget proposal to Lower House

Based on the 2024 NEP, the total amount of proposed intelligence and confidential funds next year slightly increased compared to the current fiscal year.

For 2024, proposed intelligence funds amount to P5.77 billion, compared to P5.217 billion in 2023 and P6.405 billion in 2022.

Meanwhile, confidential funds in the 2024 NEP totaled at P4.864 billion, compared to P4.804 billion in 2023 and P3.864 billion in 2022.

Intelligence expenses in the budget refer to information-gathering activities of uniformed and military personnel, and intelligence practitioners that have a direct impact on national security. These may only be used upon the approval of the President.

Confidential expenses meantime refer to surveillance activities in civilian government agencies that are intended to support the mandate or operations of the agency. These may be used upon the approval of the Department Secretary.

The Office of the President will get the largest chunk of the surveillance and confidential funds--bigger than even the total of the proposed allotments for the Department of National Defense, Department of Justice. and Department of Interior and Local Government

Just like last year, the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education under Vice President Sara Duterte have confidential funds as well.

Marcos also has his own confidential fund as Secretary of the Department of Agriculture.

Breakdown of confidential and intelligence funds proposed for several agencies:

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

• INTELLIGENCE - P2.31 billion
• CONFIDENTIAL - P2.25 billion

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

• CONFIDENTIAL - P500 million

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

• CONFIDENTIAL - P50 million

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

• CONFIDENTIAL - P150 million

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

• CONFIDENTIAL - P13.95 million

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE

• CONFIDENTIAL - P111 million

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

• CONFIDENTIAL - P50 million

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

• CONFIDENTIAL - P300 million

DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• INTELLIGENCE - P806.02 million
• CONFIDENTIAL - P100.6 million

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

• CONFIDENTIAL - P471.29 million

DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENSE

• INTELLIGENCE - P1.81 billion
• CONFIDENTIAL - P87 million

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT

• CONFIDENTIAL - P18 million

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

• INTELLIGENCE - P10 million
• CONFIDENTIAL - P 5.6 million

OTHER EXECUTIVE OFFICES

• CONFIDENTIAL - P695 million
• INTELLIGENCE - P340.2 million

COMMISSION ON AUDIT

• CONFIDENTIAL - P10 million

OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN

• CONFIDENTIAL - P51.468 million

COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

• CONFIDENTIAL - P1 million

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman told a press conference that there are safeguards for the use of these funds.

"Alam niyo po yung confidential and intel funds meron naman pong guidelines yan from COA on how to use the funds, di naman po siya budget na parang pagkabigay, they can actually disburse it and use it... There's full transparency po in terms of the request for these funds," Pangandaman said.

The DBM submitted the 2024 NEP to the House of Representatives on Wednesday. The first full-year budget prepared by the Marcos administration is valued at P5.768 trillion or 9.5 percent higher than the 2023 national budget.