The Mayors Rejecting Confidential Funds—and the Message They Send
This commentary reflects on the growing number of mayors rejecting confidential funds across the Philippines—an act of leadership that exposes both the misuse of these funds at the national level and the entitlement that often comes with unaccountable power. With examples from Naga, Dumanjug, and Capas, this piece highlights what it means to lead with transparency and why this quiet movement is a direct response to the impunity of those who refuse to be questioned.
There’s something oddly humbling about waking up to mayors who just… said no.
No to power they could’ve held onto without question.
No to funds they could’ve used in silence.
No to a system that keeps getting away with calling secrecy “security.”
In a country where public funds too often disappear without receipts, a few local leaders have chosen the harder path: to give up confidential funds entirely. It shouldn’t be headline material. But it is. Because too many still treat these funds like a privilege, not a responsibility.
And that’s exactly why these mayors deserve our attention.
The First to Draw the Line
It started with former Vice President, now Naga City Mayor, Leni Robredo. During her inauguration, she said it plainly:
“Primarily, we will remove confidential funds from our budget. So expect this to be gone.”
(GMA News)
She didn’t soften the statement or load it with excuses. It wasn’t framed as cost-cutting or reform. It was a stand. A clear refusal to be part of a system that allows public money to move in the dark.
Soon after, others followed.
Dumanjug Mayor Efren “Gungun” Gica announced:
“Effective immediately, no more confidential funds for LGU Dumanjug. Public funds must serve the people—openly, clearly, and with integrity.”
(GMA News)
Capas, Tarlac Mayor Roseller “Boots” Rodriguez did the same—giving up ₱8 million in confidential funds to instead fund assistance for senior citizens and school supplies for students. He said:
“To my colleagues and fellow elected officials, I set this example. I hope you follow the leader. We do not need to compromise, but sometimes we must sacrifice for those who trusted us.”
(Inquirer)
This isn’t budgeting. It’s leadership.
Why It Matters
These mayors didn’t do it to impress. They didn’t hold concerts or make TikTok-friendly PR moves. They simply removed the backdoor from their budgets. That’s what confidential funds are, after all—money you can spend without needing to justify anything. No clear rules. No oversight. No paper trail.
And while some argue these funds are essential for peace and order or anti-crime work, that logic has been stretched far beyond its original intent.
Especially when Vice President Sara Duterte reportedly spent ₱125 million in just 11 days (PhilStar). And those funds? They were disbursed to names like Mary Grace Piattos and Kokoy Villamin—recipients that, by any reasonable standard, don’t pass the sniff test (Inquirer).
That’s not security.
That’s fiction.
Meanwhile, Davao City under her mayoralty spent ₱2.697 billion in confidential funds over several years (PhilStar). To put it in perspective, that money could have paid ₱5,000 annual allowances to 77,000 teachers for six straight years.
Now compare that to a mayor in Capas giving up ₱8 million so seniors can get help and kids can have notebooks.
That contrast says more than any editorial ever could.
The Irony No One’s Saying Out Loud
Let’s not pretend this movement started organically. It didn’t.
It was triggered by a bad example. A spectacularly arrogant one.
The mayors who are giving up confidential funds are, in many ways, reacting to Sara Duterte’s abuse of it. Not in direct confrontation, but through contrast. They're showing what public service is supposed to look like by quietly rejecting what it has become under her watch.
This is a slap—not just to the misuse of funds—but to the entitlement that comes with it. Because Sara didn’t just spend public money recklessly. She refused to be questioned. She didn’t say “I am a Duterte,” but she didn’t have to. The message was clear in her posture, in her silence, in the way she flipped the script and played the victim to cover her own tracks.
No remorse. No transparency. No explanation.
Just indifference.
That’s not governance. That’s a display of impunity—and these mayors are quietly tearing it down.
More Than Policy—It’s a Signal
Rodriguez’s words weren’t just a statement—they were a call:
“I hope you follow the leader.”
Because when one mayor does it, others realize they can, too. And just like that, the “default setting” begins to shift.
Confidential funds shouldn’t be routine.
They should be rare, strictly used, and heavily accounted for.
Instead, we’ve normalized them across agencies and local governments—many of which have no business holding intelligence funds to begin with. Even the Commission on Audit has asked for stricter guidelines (COA), and lawmakers have called for gradual abolition or regulation in agencies where they don’t belong (GMA).
In a Country Tired of Excuses
This kind of leadership—quiet, principled, clear-eyed—isn’t flashy. And that’s probably why it doesn’t trend.
But it should.
Because for every mayor who gives up confidential funds, there’s a whole system that gets nudged—however slightly—toward integrity. Every peso redirected to school kids or seniors is one less peso waiting to be buried in “classified expenses.”
Will Others Follow?
That’s the real question now.
Will more LGUs follow suit?
Or will the rest of them pretend they need confidential funds to “maintain peace and order,” even as the public asks—peace and order for whom?
These mayors aren’t just saving money. They’re exposing the lie that transparency is optional. They’re showing us that a mayor can lead effectively without secret funds—and still sleep at night knowing every peso is accounted for.
In a time when corruption is too often passed off as “just the way things work,” they’re proving that leadership still means something.
No Hashtag, No Drama—Just Trust
What we’re witnessing isn’t just responsible governance. It’s a slow but powerful shift in how we define leadership. Less about speeches. More about receipts. Less about clout. More about choices.
And maybe that’s why it feels so refreshing.
Because in a country where too many in power hold on tight to what they can hide, it’s nice to know there are still those who choose what they can give up.
Let me know if you want this formatted for your Morning Coffee Thoughts blog or trimmed for a teaser on Threads. I can also add image captions or structure it as a visual thread if you’re posting the key points.
SOURCES
Commission on Audit (COA):
https://www.coa.gov.ph/wpfd_file/guidelines-on-confidential-and-intelligence-fund-use-signed/
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