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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Commander-in-chief yan': PBBM's confidential funds justified, says Abante

'Commander-in-chief yan': PBBM's confidential funds justified, says Abante

Published Aug 31, 2026 11:57 pm

At A Glance

  • Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. says President Marcos is entitled to confidential funds as commander-in-chief, especially given threats against him, including those raised in Duterte's impeachment trial.
  • The Office of the President seeks P4.55 billion in confidential and intelligence funds for 2027, part of a government-wide allocation of P10.77 billion, slightly lower than this year.
  • Abante stresses proper liquidation and congressional scrutiny remain necessary, even as he defends the President's authority to access such funds.
Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. (left), President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr . (PPAB, Facebook)
Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. (left), President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr . (PPAB, Facebook)


House quad-committee (quad-comm) 2.0 overall chairman Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. sees no issue with President Marcos' usage of confidential funds, given the latter's responsibilities.
According to Abante, Marcos serves as the country's commander-in-chief, and is therefore the country’s highest official on the matter of national security.
The veteran lawmaker highlighted this ahead of the House Committee on Appropriations' scrutiny of the Office of the President's (OP) P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027.
“I think we have to remember that the President is also the commander in chief of the Armed Forces. Therefore, he has all the right to have a confidential fund,” Abante said during an online press briefing.
The Office of the President (OP) is seeking P4.55 billion in confidential and intelligence funds for 2027, unchanged from 2026. The amount consists of P2.25 billion in confidential funds and P2.3 billion in intelligence funds.
Government-wide, the proposed confidential and intelligence fund allocation stands at P10.773 billion, down 8.8 percent from P11.818 billion this year. Of the proposed amount, P4.368 billion is for confidential funds and P6.405 billion for intelligence funds.
This developed even as Marcos' top critic in government--Vice President Sara Duterte--is the respondent of a Senate impeachment trial partly due to alleged confidential funds misuse.
Senate Finance Committee Chairperson Senator JV Ejercito recently said that confidential and intelligence funds should be limited to agencies whose mandates involve law enforcement, intelligence, and national security.
Abante said the OP falls squarely within that this jurisdiction, as he cited President Marcos’ role as commander-inzchief and the threats he faces as the country’s chief executive.
One such alleged threat is the subject of article IV of the articles of impeachment against Duterte.
Earlier in the trial, the prosecution team presented an authenticated video of Duterte’s Nov. 23, 2024 online press conference wherein she said she had instructed someone to assassinate President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she herself were killed.
“Palagay ko naman alam na po natin bilang commander in chief ng Armed Forces, bilang siya rin po ang subject ng mga threat, especially ng Vice President. Aba, eh kinakailangan po naman na meron po talagang confidential fund ang ating Pangulo,” Abante said.
(I think we already know that, as commander in chief of the Armed Forces, and as someone who is also the subject of threats, especially from the Vice President, well, it is really necessary for our President to have confidential funds.)
Proper liquidation still needed
He stressed, however, that presidential confidential funds must still be properly used and accounted for.
“Kinakailangan po nating malaman lamang paano gagamitin ’yan, saan gagamitin ’yan,” he said.
(We only need to know how they will be used and where they will be used.)
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has said confidential and intelligence funds in the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program were limited to agencies legally authorized to perform confidential and intelligence functions. The funds remain subject to existing budgeting, utilization, liquidation and auditing rules.
The Manila solon said Congress would scrutinize the OP’s budget just as it would other agencies.

Related Tags

Bienvenido \"Benny\" Abante PBBM President Marcos confidential funds Sara Duterte impeachment
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