DBM chief: Lower budget means fewer foreign trips
THE Office of the President has requested a P1.045 billion for its travel expenses in 2025, which Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said is eight percent lower than this year’s allocation of P1.148 billion.
In a briefing in Malacañang, Pangandaman said the lower budget request could mean that there would be less foreign and domestic travels for the President next year.
“It is 94 million, or an eight percent decrease, compared to P1.148 billion allocation in the 2024 General Appropriations Act. Bumaba po siya ng eight percent (It went down by eight percent),” she said.
She added that even if the President lessens his travel, especially abroad, the Marcos administration would remain focused on presenting the Philippines as an investment destination.
Pangandaman said the economic team would continue to have roadshows abroad to “market the Philippines as an investment destination” and government officials would also travel, when necessary, to follow up some of the investment pledges made during the previous foreign trips of Marcos.
The President has traveled 28 times to 17 countries since assuming office in July 2022. He traveled abroad seven times in 2022, 12 in 2023, and nine this year, so far.
He went four times each to Singapore and the United States; three times to Indonesia; two times each to Australia, Brunei, and Japan; and one time each to Belgium, Cambodia, China, the Czech Republic, Germany, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam
The President had said that these foreign travels were needed to engage with potential foreign investors and strengthen ties with other nations, among others.
The DBM last Tuesday submitted to Congress the proposed P6.352 trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2025.
Under the NEP, the OP requested for a P10.446 billion budget next year, including P2.25 billion in confidential and P2.31 billion in intelligence funds.
OVP BUDGET IN 2025
Pangandaman, meanwhile, said the proposed budget for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for 2025 went up by eight percent to P2.037 billion.
The allocation includes P188.5 million for Personnel Services, P1.79 billion for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses, and P56 million for Capital Outlay.
She said the OVP did not request for confidential funds next year.
“Sa CIF po, wala pong CIF ang Office of the Vice President. I think, hindi rin po siya nag-request ng CIF (About CIF, there Office of the Vice President had no CIF. I think she [Vice President Sara Duterte] did not request for a CIF),” she said.
INTERVENTION FUNDS
Pangandaman said the proposed 2025 budget includes funding for interventions to help temper the effects of inflation, such as the P253.3 billion allocation for various cash assistance programs.
This include the P205.5 billion for the programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) at P114.1 billion; Social Pension for senior citizens and grants for octogenarians, nonagenarians and centenarians at P49.8 billion; Protective Services at P35.1 billion; Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) at P4.4 billion; and the “Walang Gutom” Food Stamp Program at P1.8 billion.
She said that under the Department of Health (DOH) budget, P26 billion has been allocated for its Medical Assistance for Indigent Program (MAIP), and P1.25 billion for its Cancer Assistance Fund (CAF), while P14.1 billion has been allocated to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for its “Tulong Pang-hanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers” (TUPAD) program.
She said P2.5 billion was allocated to the Department of Transportation for its fuel subsidy program, while P100 million was allocated to the Department of Agriculture (DA) for its fuel assistance to farmers and fisherfolk.
The government also allocated P984.2 million for DOLE’s Youth Employability Programs, such as the Special Program for Employment of Students or SPES (P828.9 million) and Job Start Program or JSP (P155.2 million).
HIGHER BUDGET UTILIZATION
DBM Undersecretary Joselito Basilio, meanwhile, said that there was a higher budget utilization rate in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year.
Basilio said government spending for the first semester of 2024 was 14 percent higher due to the accelerated programs of various government agencies such as the Road Infrastructure Network Program of the Department of Public Works and Highways, the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the improved social services distribution of the DSWD, and the spending activities of the Commission on Elections in preparation for the local and national elections for next year.
“Mas naging mabilis sila this first semester — ang isa sa mga reason ay nagko-conduct sila ng early procurement activities (They were faster this first semester — one of the reasons is that they are conducting early procurement activities),” he said.
