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Is it truly for the good of society to keep government functions hidden from the public? Confidential funds are concerned with programs involving surveillance and national security—its processes are kept inside closed doors, including its funding. But the secrecy over these funds is a blow to transparency. Under the National Expenditure Program for 2026, the Office of the President will receive PHP4.5 billion in confidential funds. Cielo Magno, former finance undersecretary, called for the abolishment of confidential funds because its discretionary nature, she argued, is prone to corruption, which she said was proven by the countless controversies surrounding Sara Duterte over her use of confidential funds. Press secretary Claire Castro retorted that there is nothing wrong with these funds, so long as they concern national security. Castro said that confidential funds are integral to the President’s mandate as commander-in-chief. However, if the funds are discrete, how can they be scrutinized? And as Magno further pointed out, there are various institutions and agencies in the country that specialize in national security, so why should a large bulk of these funds be allocated to the President’s office? Let us not forget that back in 2022, Vice President Sara Duterte spent PHP125 million of confidential funds in just 11 days, and among the recipients took the form of fake names, such as “Marie Grace Piattos”—an insult to taxpayers. What more if another official performs the same schemes, only this time, more cautiously? Our country has a long history of systematic plunder, which extends to this day. The issues regarding confidential funds are not isolated cases—it does not stop there. There is no doubt that more problems are unbeknownst to us, and considering recent news, we just might hear more. The start of Marcos’ term saw the establishment of a five hundred billion peso flood control project that was “implemented” nationwide. Alarmingly, among the 2,409 accredited contractors, 15 of them bagged PHP100 billion. One of the 15 contractors, MG Samidan, received PHP5 billion despite having only PHP250,000 of capital. On top of that, during a senate investigation, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan reported multiple ghost projects in Bulacan. From confidential funds to ghost projects, large sums of public funds are distributed not towards important initiatives, but somewhere else. The truth is most of the country's pressing problems revolve around uncertainty. If citizens are unaware of the state’s activities, officials have the freedom to exploit their positions for profit. Without transparency, the future of our country remains unclear. There is no reason for politicians to conceal public matters, so why should we be kept in the dark? Presidents, Senators, Secretaries, hold high offices, but what makes them important is that they are servants to the public—not the other way around. We deserve better, and if our officials continue to show no action, our dreams for change may not arrive—unless we demand it.