DOT Secretary Christina Frasco (Screenshot from YouTube live)

House of Representatives members have voiced out their concerns over the decreased budget of the Department of Tourism (DOT) under the P5.768-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2024 versus its current 2023 appropriation. 

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco led DOT officials Tuesday, Aug. 15 in the briefing of the proposed P2.6-billion budget of the agency for next year before the House Committee on Appropriations. 

The figure is a significant drop from its budget of P3.4 billion under the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA). 

"I'm concerned with the decrease of the budget of the DOT, especially since as mentioned, P3.5 million visitors---while, of course it's higher than last year--but it's still far away from, our 2019 and pre-pandemic levels of 8.6 million tourists," Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Partyl-ist Rep. Bernadette Herrera said during the budget briefing. 

Herrera said that such budgetary decrease was "unwarranted" especially since DOT is still "chasing after" pre-pandemic levels in terms of tourism revenue. 

Bohol 1st district Rep. Edgar Chatto, a former chairman of the Committee on Tourism, expressed similar worries in light of the gains made by Frasco following the Covid-19 pandemic. 

"Let me first say congratulations, Sec. Frasco. You've been leading the DOT in a way that has also brought all the (...) and country in terms of our recovery efforts and we are so happy with that. It cascades down to the local government levels where our tourism industry is also picking up," he said. 

"We are feeling that in the province of Bohol, including an increase in international arrivals with international flights as well. That's why we are concerned with the decrease in the budget," Chatto said. 

For his part, Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman--whose province is the home of the famous Mayon Volcano--enjoined his congressman-colleagues to augment the DOT''s budget as it appears in the 2024 NEP. 

"I am concluding my short intervention with the hope that, at the proper time, with the approval of the majority, we can increase the budget of the [DOT] if not to equal this current level (...) in recognition of its performance," Lagman said. 

Herrera is a member of the House minority bloc; Chatto, of the majority bloc; while Lagman is an "independent minority" solons. 

The NEP serves as precursor to the GAA.