Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III has voiced concerns over the significant increase in President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s travel budget for the upcoming year. According to the General Appropriations Act of 2024, President Marcos’s travel budget will see a 58% rise to PHP1.408 billion, up from PHP893.57 million in 2023.
Pimentel acknowledged the budget increase as indicative of the administration’s plans for 2024. However, he stressed that the focus should be on local issues, stating, “The president should be aware that our people’s problems are more local than he thinks.”
The Senator further emphasized the importance of self-sufficiency in food production over reliance on imports, remarking, “Food production means we need to produce more food from our own land. Food importation is not the same as food production.”
This stance is not new for Pimentel, who earlier this year raised questions about the allocation of PHP9.2 billion to confidential and intelligence funds. He highlighted the disconnect between such allocations and the “real needs and challenges” faced by Filipinos in disaster-affected areas.
Pimentel criticized the budget decision, calling it a “huge mistake” and indicative of a lack of empathy for the needs of ordinary Filipinos.
The national budget for the Philippines, amounting to PHP5.768 trillion, was signed on December 20 by President Marcos. The President vetoed two provisions related to the Department of Justice’s revolving fund and the implementation of the government’s career executive service program.