Malacañang has defended the proposed confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) of the Office of the President, saying that the President needs such funds as he is the chief of national security.

"[T]andaan po natin, ito din naman po ay nanggaling sa DBM (Let us remember, and this also came from the Department of Budget and Management), that the President is the commander-in-chief and chief architect of national policy or national security and foreign policy at kinakailangan ng pondo ng Pangulo (and the President needs the fund), Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Thursday, Aug. 14.

Castro also stressed that there is nothing wrong with having a confidential and intelligence fund as long as it is used properly, adding that it would only be painted as bad when it is used by someone who is corrupt.

"Ang tandaan po natin, ang confidential funds o ang pera ay hindi naman masama kung ginagamit sa tama. Ang confidential funds or pondo ay nagiging masama kung ginagamit ng isang corrupt, iyon lang naman po (We should keep in mind that confidential funds, or money, are not bad if used properly. Confidential funds or resources only become bad if used by someone who is corrupt — that’s all there is to it)," Castro added.

According to the DBM, the Office of the President proposed P4.5-billion CIF, which is almost half of the P10.77 billion in secret funds for 2026.

The Palace official also pointed out that if the CIF was being used and reported properly there should not be an issue of moral ascendancy.

"Katulad noong sinabi ko, muli ang Pangulo po ay Commander-in-chief at kung walang sinasabing moral ascendancy, tandaan natin kung tama naman po ang pagri-report at ginamit sa tama hindi po ito magiging kuwestyonable (As I have said before, the President is the Commander-in-chief, and if there is talk of a lack of moral ascendancy, let us remember that if the reporting is done properly and the funds are used appropriately, this will not be questionable)," Castro said.

"Nagkakaroon lang naman po ng comparison dahil kung hindi mai-report ng tama at gumagamit ng mga certificate o iba-ibang mga resibo para lang sabihing nagamit ang confidential funds, iyon ang difference (Comparisons only arise when the reporting is not done correctly and various certificates or receipts are used merely to claim that the confidential funds were spent — that’s the difference)," she added, responding to criticisms that Marcos has no moral ascendancy over Vice President Sara Duterte if he continues to request confidential funds despite the fact that these are being stolen.

Castro also justified the P17-billion budget for the hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit next year, saying "the expenses will indeed be substantial because we will be hosting the ASEAN Summit."

"So, expected po iyan dahil kailangan po talaga nating paghandaan ito. Hindi po biro ang gastos sa pagho-host (That is to be expected, as we truly need to prepare for it; hosting is no small matter in terms of cost)," Castro said.

As for the President's local and foreign trips, the Palace official said it would also be necessary to request a huge funding for it as Marcos' trips domestically and abroad are necessary.

"Makikita po natin talaga ang Pangulo ay madalas na lumalabas para tingnan ang seguridad, ang pagmo-monitor din po kung ano ang nangyayari sa lugar natin po – kung may baha, kung may kalamidad, so, kinakailangan din po iyan (We can clearly see that the President often travels to inspect security and to monitor what is happening in our country — whether there are floods or disasters — so that is also necessary)," she said.

"At nakikita din po ninyo ang kadalasang pagbiyahe ng Pangulo dahil hinihikayat niya ang ibang mga bansa na mag-invest para sa atin dito sa bansa natin (You can also observe that the President frequently travels abroad to encourage other countries to invest here in our nation)," she added.