COA cites 'significant increase' in Office of the President's travel expenses for 2022
There had been a "significant increase" in the travel expenses incurred by the Office of the President (OP) in 2022, particularly those on foreign travels, the Commission on Audit (COA) said.
In its 2022 Annual Audit Report (AAR), the COA compared OP’s Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) for the years 2022 and 2021. From P36,791,902.14 spent on travel expenses in 2021, the OP spent P403,087,594.93 on travels to six different countries in 2022.
It said that in 2021, the OP spent P11,536,738.19 for local travels and P25,255,163.95 on foreign travels. It also said that OP's local travel expenses were lower in 2022 at only P10,780,185.02. However, it said there was a huge increase in the expenses for foreign travels at P392,307,409.91 in 2022.
"Significant increase of P367,052,245.96 was due to the official travels relative to the foreign summits and state visits attended by the President during the year in Singapore, Indonesia, United States of America, Cambodia, Thailand, and Belgium," COA said.
It said the local travel expenses were incurred for the movement or transport of government officials and employees within the country and included travel per diem, ferriage, and other related expenses.
Foreign travel expenses included those spent for transportation, travel per diem, passport and visa processing, and all other travel-related costs.