Rody’s travel restrictions

After more than two weeks of official travels abroad, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano is back in the Philippines. Presumably, our country’s chief diplomat quietly conducted missions to further improve, or perhaps mend fences as the case maybe, with certain foreign governments included in his itinerary.

A former Senator, the DFA Secretary immediately went back into saddle to personally be at hand with the bereaved family of slain overseas Filipino worker Joanna Demafelis whose remains were flown back from Kuwait last Friday. Later that day, Cayetano had more than an hour of press conference with the DFA media who missed him from action for 22 days while he was out of the country.

There is no issue with Cayetano’s overseas trips as these were required by his job as DFA Secretary. A fellow Cabinet official, Secretary Wanda Teo of the Department of Tourism (DOT), however, is under question for the travels abroad she admittedly gave to certain employees of her government agency tasked, among other things, to promote the Philippines as a foreign travel destination.

Using her own words, Teo justified the travels of these employees she described as “little people” at the DOT whom she sent on foreign travels abroad supposedly at no government expense. The controversial travel orders were issued by the DOT for various trips to Dubai, Italy, London, Moscow and Japan, including cruises on Star Cruise for DOT employees who included utility workers, clerk, drivers and her “make-up artist” employed as Teo’s executive assistant.

This does not include the numerous trips to the US and Canada of top DOT officials, including the Secretary herself and resident auditor and other auditors. The purpose of their foreign trips is purportedly to attend international travel fairs, conduct inventory of DOT foreign offices, etc. These foreign trips of DOT employees came out in the open after The STAR reported on them last week. The report was a takeoff after President Rodrigo Duterte dismissed one after the other several Cabinet-ranked officials for their alleged “excessive” official trips abroad at Filipino taxpayers’ expense.

Among those several officials fired for lavish travels abroad were former anti-poverty commissioner Terry Ridon and Maritime Industry Authority administrator Marcial Amaro III; former Dangerous Drugs Board chief Dionisio Santiago; and former Development Academy of the Philippines president Elba Cruz.

In his usual profanity-laced extemporaneous speech during an event held in Davao City last Dec. 21, President Duterte sternly warned officials and employees in the executive department he would henceforth impose restrictions on travels abroad for all those working in government starting this new year.

“Corruption is really prevalent, and I’m starting it with those guys who have been wasting money, going in and out of the country as if they owned the money and for nothing,” the President deplored. “When you look at the records, (they are) going abroad seven, eight, nine times using money of people for a flimsy reason to go there. That’s why I get mad,” the Chief Executive fumed, without mentioning names. “That’s why on January 1, I told Medialdea – well, I do not want to interfere with Congress and the Supreme Court, you are separate branches of government – here in my department, no travel now. I’ll cut it or whatever, except the diplomats and ambassadors,” the President vowed.

He was referring to Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea who immediately enforced the presidential directives to include also officials and employees in all local government units (LGUs) as well as in various government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) and government financial institutions (GFIs).

Actually, the Executive Secretary merely re-issued on Jan. 3 four specific provisions of his Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 35, Medialdea signed MC 35 as early as Nov. 22 last year stating: “Clarifying and Reinforcing Existing Rules and Regulations on Foreign Travel Authorities, Travel Entitlements, and Travel Tax Exemptions, Which Require the Approval of the Office of the President (OP).”

Medialdea, as the so-called “the little President,” obviously had already monitored many of these junketing government functionaries much earlier on.

Medialdea cited in the “whereas” clause of MC 35 “unauthorized foreign travels of certain government officials have been observed, and the OP continues to receive requests for foreign authority and entitlement to travel expenses and allowances that suffer from incomplete documentation and lack of sufficient lead time for evaluation.”

MC 35 specified “Prohibition Against Certain Individuals” in Section 5 to include private individuals; consultants of, and/or those engaged by way of contracts of service by government agencies, except in highly meritorious circumstances (for example unavailability of qualified employees in highly technical and specialized fields); and, spouses or children of government officials, except when diplomatic protocol or practices provide otherwise.

And further, Section 6 of MC 35 provided: “No government official or employee shall be allowed to depart for any travel abroad, EVEN IF SUCH TRAVEL IS FOR PURELY PERSONAL OR PRIVATE PURPOSE WITHOUT COST TO THE GOVERNMENT, (underscoring supplied) unless such official or employee has duly accomplished the requisite leave forms and has obtained the appropriate travel authorization from his or her agency.” 

In Section 1 of MC 35, the Executive Secretary ruled as “Allowable Foreign Trips” if these meet the following “minimum criteria:”

– The purpose of the trip is strictly within the mandate of the requesting government official or personnel;

– The projected expenses for the trip are not excessive; and,

– The trip is expected to bring substantial benefit to the country.

It would do well for the advisers of the DOT Secretary to review the presidential travel restrictions and relevant laws, like the ban on government officials from accepting freebies, before they open their mouths again to deny The STAR report.