‘Arroyo foreign trips exempted from austerity measures’

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's visits abroad are "exempted" from the government’s austerity measures considering the economic benefits they reap, a Palace official said on Wednesday. "The austerity project is very much observed but I am sure that, in the context of foreign travels...it’s an exception because they are ministerial (and) important meetings (that the President has to attend)," Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said. Malacañang is currently under fire for the alleged "lavish" dinners Mrs. Arroyo and her party had during their latest visit to the United States. Critics said the dinners showed Mrs. Arroyo's insensitivity toward the plight of many Filipinos suffering from the effects of the global financial crisis. Remonde justified Mrs. Arroyo’s "aggressive" foreign engagements by highlighting that these are working trips that bring huge investments to the country. "If not for the aggressive foreign engagements of the President, our economy would be worse. That's part of President Arroyo's hard work and being an aggressive salesman," he said. "All presidents had to travel abroad. We cannot be an island of our own and we have to engage others," he added. Last week, Bukidnon Rep. Teofisto III accused Mrs. Arroyo of "overspending" in her foreign trips from 2003 to 2007. Citing data from the Commission on Audit (COA), he said the President spent P2.7 billion from that period when the budget was supposed to have only been P1.1 billion. Guingona is the son of former Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr., a staunch critic of the Arroyo administration. In April, Mrs. Arroyo issued Administrative Order No. 261 reiterating the government’s belt-tightening measures in the light of the global economic crisis. AO 261 ordered all government agencies to reduce their respective Maintenance, Overhead and Operating Expense (MOOE) budgets by 1.5 percent and undertake electricity- and fuel-saving measures, among others. - GMANews.TV