PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte spent more than P277 million in taxpayers’ money in visiting 12 countries six months into the presidency, Malacañang said Tuesday.
Despite this huge sum of money, however, the President brought home at least US$5.85 billion in foreign investments and at least 350,000 job opportunities, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said.
“The President made a total of seven foreign trips, visiting a total of 12 countries since he took office. These visits incurred about P277 million in expenses which included airfare, charter lease, and others,” Duterte’s spokesperson told a news briefing.
“These official trips are part of the President’s obligation to maintain and strengthen diplomatic ties with neighboring countries and has clinched numerous economic investments and commitments amounting to billions of dollars—to billions of pesos and generate thousands of jobs in the following years,” he added.
Duterte visited Laos, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brunei, China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Peru, New Zealand, Cambodia, and Singapore as part of his obligation as Head of State to maintain and strengthen the country’s diplomatic ties with other nations.
From these foreign trips, China and Japan were the most fruitful, Abella said, with investment pledges in the billions of dollars and estimated hundreds of thousands of jobs to be generated in the next few years.
“The visit to China resulted in more than 20 agreements with an estimated value, total value of US$4-billion and will generate over 100,000 jobs,” the Palace spokesperson continued.
Included in the agreements, were a 50-million renminbi each for the construction of drug rehabilitation facilities and supply of equipment for law enforcement activities.
“The visit to Japan likewise produced investment commitments estimated at US$1.85-billion and will generate about 250,000 jobs in the next few years,” Abella said, adding five government-to-government agreements were signed that included Exchange of Notes Agreements of up to US$184-million.
Moreover, Abella mentioned 15 pipeline loans entered into by various national government agencies for various projects during the President’s visit to Japan, which include the constructions of North Avenue to FTI Taguig subway and the Manila to Clark high-speed railway.
Duterte is set to visit Myanmar on March 19 to 20 and Thailand on March 20 to 22.
