Arroyo spent nearly P3-B for 107 foreign trips

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo spent nearly P3 billion in her travels during her nine-year term, Malacañang said on Thursday. Mrs. Arroyo, who visited 107 countries since 2001, spent P2,852,132,348.20 in foreign travel expenses, figures released by the Malacañang Finance Office showed. Her foreign state and working visits abroad also involved traveling to certain countries more than once, the website of the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) said. In some cases, the outgoing President also went to several countries in one trip, the same website said. Her trips involved attending international meetings and conferences. Some of her trips were criticized for exceeding the allotted budget. Mrs. Arroyo’s first trip was a state visit to the United States from November 14 to 23, 2001. Her last foreign travel as the Philippines’ chief executive was to the two-day Shanghai World Exposition that started in June 8 this year. However, the OPS failed to include Mrs. Arroyo’s trip to Shanghai in June last year and Malaysia in 2007. According to the same website, Arroyo's most frequently-visited country was the US, which she visited 11 times; China, which she visited nine times (excluding Hong Kong which she went to five times). A report made last year by GMANews.TV and GMA News Research said that Mrs. Arroyo traveled more frequently than US presidents. In chronological order, Mrs. Arroyo and her officials spent:

• P129,028,353.66 in traveling to 10 countries in 2001;
• P72,088,230.24 in trips to 10 countries in 2002;
• P74,814,586.20 in travels to 14 countries in 2003;
• P96,604,035.58 in visiting four countries in 2004;
• P139,947,716.58 in her trips to four countries in 2005;
• P343,204,614.65 in her travels to 11 countries in 2006;
• P553,993,969.53 in trips to 17 countries in 2007;
• P521,054,970.88 in her visits to 10 countries in 2008;
• P891,015,618.76 while traveling to 23 countries in 2009; and
• P30,380,252.12 in her trips to four countries in 2010.