Proposed Marcos travel budget lower in 2025 at P1.054 billion — DBM

The travel budget of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. under next year's proposed P6.352-trillion national budget is lower than its approved allocation in 2024, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Thursday.

"Under next year's NEP (National Expenditure Program), the proposed allocation for travel expenses under the Office of the President is P1.054 billion," Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said in a mix of Filipino and English at a Palace press briefing.

Pangandaman said next year's travel funds of the President is P94 million or 8% lower than the P1.148-billion allocation in the 2024 General Appropriations Act.

"If we look at their proposal, there would be less frequency for travel, both local and foreign," the Budget chief said.

Despite the President's lower travel budget for next year, Pangandaman said the Marcos administration is still committed to promote the Philippines as an investment destination to other nations.

"We'll still continue to go out… we market the Philippines as an investment destination," she said, noting that the government will have to make follow-ups on the investments pledges it secured in the last few years.

The Board of Investments (BOI) booked a record P950 billion worth of investments from January to June 2024, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said in July.

Last May, the BOI said the Marcos administration has already produced P2.368 trillion of generated investments, a figure which includes the outcomes of the foreign trips of the President.

Since assuming the presidency on June 30, 2022 and until end-2023, Marcos went abroad 19 times. In 2023 alone, he had 11 overseas trips. — VDV, GMA Integrated News