Senate to investigate ex-President Arroyo’s travel expenses

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is set to investigate the travel expenses of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, focusing on what is widely believed as a case of overspending for official trips abroad and in the Philippines. According to GMA News’ “24 Oras," a recent report from the Commission on Audit (COA) indicated that the Arroyo administration spent over P940 million on foreign and domestic travels in 2009 alone. Of the amount, P848 million was spent on foreign trips and P92 on domestic travels. In contrast, the travel budget in 2009 was P244.6 million. “This is the kind of disregard for fiscal authorizations that we saw in the past," said Senator Franklin Drilon the Senate finance committee chair.
Apart from the former President’s huge travel expenses, the COA report cited P594 in unliquidated cash advances during Arroyo’s last year in Malacañang. An independent audit conducted by the Aquino administration, has unearthed P367 million in unliquidated cash advances, most of which came from foreign travel expenses, according to Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa. The former administration also failed to keep a record of the former President’s delegation during her foreign and local trips, the report added. Meanwhile, Raul Lambino, Arroyo's spokesperson could not give a comment on the allegations but said that he would contact GMA News as soon as he speaks to the former President. — BC/VS, GMA News