MANILA, Philippines?Malacańang wants the public?especially critics?to show their gratitude instead of hitting President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the multimillion-dollar foreign trips she took since she was installed in office in 2001.
For the second day in a row, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde spent much of the Palace?s regular media briefing Wednesday outlining the ?benefits? of Ms Arroyo?s recent visit to the United States.
On Tuesday, Remonde said he would no longer entertain questions about the presidential delegation?s allegedly ostentatious dinners in Washington DC and New York, costing around P1.7 million.
?Let?s face it?there are people who, whatever the administration says, won?t really listen because of their respective political agenda,? he said. ?The fact that we have escaped recession when most of the world didn?t, to a certain extent, that?s a result of the diligence and perseverance of our President.?
From 2001 to Aug. 14 this year, the Office of the President exceeded its P1.43-billion allocation for local and foreign travels, spending a total of P2.5 billion.
Malacańang Wednesday released a ?spreadsheet? showing the ?gains? from Ms Arroyo?s trips to the US, United Arab Emirates, China, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Russia and parts of Europe and the Middle East.
In the US trip alone, it said the government got $6.2 billion in investments and other forms of financial assistance. Curiously, the list included $429 million worth of military assistance starting from the Estrada administration in 1999 until this year, and aid to Mindanao amounting to $312 million from 2001 to 2008.
In visits to parts of Asia and the Middle East in 2007, the Palace said the country got $873.4 million worth of ?sales, investments, and grants.? A similar trip in 2008 generated $399.9 million.
Meanwhile, Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile Wednesday defended Ms Arroyo?s foreign trips, saying no one could ?shackle? the President when it comes to implementing foreign policy. With Christine O. Avendańo
