MANILA — The Office of the President is asking Congress to approve more than P1 billion for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s domestic and overseas travels in 2026, a budget request that comes alongside a sharp increase in overall presidential spending.
Figures from the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP) show P1,018,304,000 earmarked for local and foreign missions, including official and state visits — up from P982,649,000 this year.
Marcos has been active in international diplomacy since assuming the presidency, with recent trips including a state visit to India and an earlier official visit to the United States where he met with American President Donald Trump. He also joined the ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in May, advancing talks on economic cooperation, security, and climate action.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma earlier defended the frequency and scale of the President’s foreign engagements, saying these visits have generated more than 200,000 job opportunities for Filipinos in sectors such as power, renewable energy, and electronics manufacturing.
For 2026, the Office of the President is seeking a total budget of P27.362 billion, a significant jump from the P15.9 billion allocated this year. The increase covers not only travel expenses but also operational, administrative, and security-related needs.
A substantial portion — P4.5 billion — is proposed for confidential and intelligence funds, the largest such allocation among all government agencies next year, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
The budget proposal will undergo scrutiny in Congress in the coming months, where lawmakers are expected to question the necessity of certain allocations, particularly for travel and intelligence, amid calls for more funding for social services and disaster preparedness./PN
