President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s travel budget for 2025 is set to be lower than the approved allocation for 2024, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman announced during a Palace press briefing that the proposed allocation for travel expenses under the Office of the President for the next year is P1.054 billion. This amount is P94 million, or 8%, less than the P1.148 billion allocated in the 2024 General Appropriations Act.
“If we look at their proposal, there would be less frequency for travel, both local and foreign,” Pangandaman explained.
Despite the reduction, the Marcos administration remains committed to promoting the Philippines as an investment destination. “We’ll still continue to go out… we market the Philippines as an investment destination,” Pangandaman stated, emphasizing the importance of following up on investment pledges made in recent years.
The Board of Investments (BOI) reported a record P950 billion worth of investments from January to June 2024, and the administration has generated P2.368 trillion in investments, partly attributed to President Marcos’s foreign trips.
Since taking office on June 30, 2022, Marcos has traveled abroad 19 times, with 11 overseas trips in 2023 alone.