Palace Slashes Travel Costs, Spends Much Less Than Arroyo In 2009
The Office of the President (OP) spent 85 percent less on foreign and local travel in 2010 than the Arroyo administration did in its last full year in power in 2009, according to the Commission on Audit (COA).
In the COA audit report on spending activities of the OP, Malacañang in 2010 incurred P140.7 million in traveling expenses—P101.5 million for foreign trips and P39.2 million for local travels.
Compare those figures to the 2009 P937.19 million travel budget of then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who spent P848.07 on overseas trips and P89.11 million on domestic sorties.
Accountability for the 2010 expenses, however, was split between the Aquino administration and the previous dispensation because Aquino assumed office only on June 30 of that year.
