P15.5 B needed for Asean activities next year

Activities related to the country’s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year will cost taxpayers at least P15.5 billion.

The Philippines accepted the chairmanship last week in Laos. It will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the regional organization.

According to opposition Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay, the P15.5-billion funding could be the highest in the country’s history for a regional or even an international event.

It is definitely higher than what the government spent for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit last year, which then president Benigno Aquino III hosted, he said.

The APEC is a larger organization and its leaders’ summit is a bigger gathering than any meeting of heads of government or state in the ASEAN region, he said.

APEC is composed of 21 economies: United States, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

ASEAN, on the other hand, groups 10 nations: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Papua New Guinea is an observer.

The P15.5 billion for ASEAN events and activities are included in the proposed P20.030-billion budget for 2017 of the Office of the President.

A special provision in the budget states that the funds “shall be used for ASEANrelated hosting by implementing agencies and activities of the ASEAN- NOC ( national organizing council).”

Of the P15.5 billion, P11.5 billion would be allocated to the Office of the President (OP), P2 billion to the Department of the Interior and Local Government, P1.5 billion to the Presidential Communications Operations Office ( PCOO), P749.6 million to the Department of Tourism and P177.7 million to the Department of Trade and Industry.

The P1.5 billion for ASEANrelated activities for PCOO is P300 million more than its P1.2-billion proposed budget.

Asked why funds for ASEAN meetings and activities are with the OP and not the Department of Foreign Affairs, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno has said the implementing agencies do not know yet how much they would need.

His statement prompted some congressmen to question the basis for the P15.5-billion estimate.

The P20.030-billion budget for President Duterte’s office for 2017 will be the highest in the country’s history.

Of that amount, P7.6 billion will be for representation and entertainment expenses, P2.5 billion for intelligence information gathering, P2.1 billion for consultants, another P2.1 billion for travel, P2.3 billion for rent and P1.3 billion for communication.

In 2015, when the country hosted the APEC leaders’ summit, the OP had a budget oP118 million for representation expenses, P309 million for travel, P33 million for rent and another P33 million for communication.