Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman defended the allocation of over P1.4 billion for the Office of the President’s local and foreign missions, including state visits, for the upcoming year.
During a Palace briefing, Pangandaman addressed inquiries regarding the budget increase for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s foreign trips in 2024.
She emphasized that the proposed amount of P1,408,894,000 is justifiable, especially if these trips would benefit the country significantly.
“‘Yung travel po ng Presidente, dalawa pong klase ‘yan. Mayroon pong state visit that they invite you and then meron din po ‘yung mga investment roadshow. When I was asked previously po doon sa SONA kung ano po sa tingin ko ang nagawa this administration in such a short time, I think to bring us back to the map of a investment hub and opportunity for other countries,” Pangandaman said.
“Kami po hindi lang ang Presidente, even the economic managers, if you will notice po, we’ve been going out of the country to present the Philippines as an investment hub po so I think ‘yung expenses po ng travel as long as it will be beneficial and mas may advantage po para sa bansa natin, I think okay lang po ‘yun, it’s justified,” she added.
P1.4-B proposed budget for President Marcos’ trips
In 2022, Marcos embarked on a series of state visits and participated in various international events. He visited Indonesia, Singapore, and China for state visits and attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Additionally, he actively took part in the ASEAN summit held in Cambodia.
Besides these events, Marcos was present in Thailand last November for the APEC 2022 meeting and traveled to Brussels, Belgium for the EU-ASEAN Summit. He also made official visits to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum and Tokyo, Japan earlier in the year. Marcos successfully secured $1.3 billion worth of investment pledges during his visit to the United States in May.
Furthermore, Marcos attended the ASEAN Summit in Indonesia and conducted a state visit to Malaysia.
The Department of Trade and Industry had previously announced that $88 million in investments from Marcos’ foreign trips would materialize in the same year.
Marcos staunchly defends his foreign trips, citing their potential to attract foreign investors and boost the Philippines’ economy.
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