MANILA — The Office of the President’s expenses for overseas travel doubled and awards for policemen bloated under the first six months of the Duterte administration. According to the Commission on Audit’s annual audit report for 2016, foreign traveling expenses jumped to P369.64 million, up by 187.1 percent from P128.75 million the year before. The 2016 figure was also higher than the P202.25-million figure logged in 2014, the earliest year for which a breakdown of the OP’s maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) was provided by COA. ADVERTISEMENT“Increase in Traveling Expenses-Foreign was due to foreign travels of the President to Malaysia, Vietnam and China,” read the COA report. Local traveling expenses, however, decreased to P27.05 million in 2016, from P55.71 million spent the year before when the country hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 13, 2017 11:15 UTC