Escudero questions frequent foreign trips by Arroyo

MANILA, Philippines - Are President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's frequent travels abroad benefiting the country? This was the question raised on Friday by opposition Senator Francis Escudero as he called on the government to discard its proposal to impose new taxes aimed at propping up dwindling revenue collections. Instead, Escudero said the government should save the taxpayers' money by cutting unnecessary government expenses like foreign trips. Further, the senator added that the government should plug tax collection loopholes and crack down on rampant smuggling to raise its tax take. "The President should set the example. Are these foreign trips necessary at this time? Money spent in these travels can be spent for more important needs," Escudero lamented. "How has the country benefited from all these travels? Can we have a cost-benefit accounting of the many trips she has taken since 2001?," he asked. Escudero vowed to look into the amount of public funds spent for these foreign travels during deliberations for next year’s budget. "In times of acute public want, it is not good to see the President and her party traipsing around the Hermitage," he said. Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. agreed with Escudero, but stressed however, that generally speaking, presidential trips are also good for the country. "It's up to the President to justify it by showing specific benefits to the country," Pimentel said in a text message to GMANews.TV. On June 17, President Arroyo left for a four-day official visit to Tokyo, Japan. She was accompanied by First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, Cabinet members, 16 congressmen and two senators. From there, the President's delegation will then proceed to Brazil and stay there until June 25. Malacanang officials said the visits in Japan and Brazil were aimed at boosting strategic and mutually beneficial relations between the two countries. On June 7, Mrs. Arroyo arrived from a week-long official visit to Russia and Korea. The other countries she visited recently were Syria and Egypt last May; Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates last April; Thailand in March; Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United States in February; and Italy and Switzerland in January. Selling RP In a phone interview with GMANews.TV, deputy presidential spokesperson Anthony Golez said President Arroyo's foreign travels help boost the country's economy. "President Arroyo is the number one sales person of the country. It is in her trips that she was able to secure foreign investments and jobs abroad for Filipinos," Golez said in Filipino. Because of this, the Philippines is among the 20 percent of the countries around the world that is not into recession. "Because of our trading partners, the Philippine economy is not dependent on the countries whose economies crushed due to recession," Golez said. He added that whenever Mrs. Arroyo goes to different countries, she makes it a point to visit the Filipinos living or working there. "In her travels, she lets millions of OFW [overseas Filipino workers] feel that the government is taking care of them," Golez said. He advised the critics of the administration to be part of the solution instead of riding on the issue. "What is important is the result of the President Arroyo's effort to promote the country in her foreign travels," Golez said. - Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV