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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DFA exec explains rationale for Marcos' last 4 foreign trips this year

DFA exec explains rationale for Marcos' last 4 foreign trips this year

Published Oct 9, 2023 06:46 am

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega on Monday, Oct. 9, asserted that President Marcos has to go on four more foreign trips until the end of 2023 to represent the Philippines “at the highest level.”

Marcos_foreign trips.jpgPresident Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos (Ali Vicoy/MANILA BULLETIN)

In an interview on ANC’s “Headstart,” the official insisted on the importance of Marcos’ presence in the succeeding foreign trips as heads of states are also going to be there.

“All the ASEAN leaders will be in those meetings, do you want our president not to be there?,” he asked after broadcaster Karen Davila pointed out the criticisms on the President’s “excessive” international trips.

“He’s going to talk to Saudi Arabia. We know we have pending issues so (it's very) easy (to accede to the) demand,” the official noted.

“If he’s not going there, then the Philippines is not represented at the highest level. He has to be there,” De Vega stressed as he spoke about Marcos’ attendance at the Gulf Cooperation Economic Summit in Saudi Arabia.

Aside from the summit in Saudi Arabia, which the DFA official said would be the first meeting of Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) leaders with the Arab state, Marcos is also scheduled to attend the ASEAN Cooperation Council, APEC Economic Leaders in the United States, the Climate Change Conference in Dubai, and the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit in Tokyo.

As of early August, the Chief Executive had made 14 foreign trips since he took office on June 30, 2022, including one to watch the Formula 1 Grand Prix race in Singapore in October 2022.

The President has made five state visits—Indonesia, Singapore, China, Japan, and Malaysia.

He again watched the Singapore Grand Prix-Formula 1 in mid-September.

Marcos also went on an official visit to the United States from April 30 to May 4 this year.

He also was a guest at the coronation of King Charles III on May 6, 2023.

Earlier, the Commission on Audit (COA) reported that the Office of the President (OP) incurred P403.088 million in travel expenses in 2022, up by a whopping 995.6 percent or P366.296 million from P36.792-million total travel expenses in 2021.

In the proposed 2024 national budget, Malacañang asked for P1.408 billion to fund Marcos’ local and foreign trips next year, a 58-percent jump from his 2023 travel allocation.

Related Tags

FOREIGN TRIPS ASEAN leaders Department of Foreign Affairs Eduardo De Vega President Marcos
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