President Rodrigo Duterte sought a tenfold increase in the budget of the Office of the President (OP) to P20 billion. Of this amount,
P19.3 billion will go to maintenance and other operating expenses, while
P747 million will be for personnel services. Capital outlay is just at P660,000.
Secretary Benjamin Diokno of the Department of Budget and Management attributed the rise to the country’s hosting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meetings next year, which will cost P15 billion.
“We are hosting the golden anniversary of Asean which is a
t P15 billion. This is really under the OP. Once the budget is approved, this amount will be disbursed to various agencies that will need the money for the Asean hosting,” Diokno told reporters after submitting the Duterte administration’s maiden budget proposal.
Also contributing to the increase was Duterte’s Executive Order (EO) No. 1 which placed 12 agencies under the supervision of a top aide, Cabinet Secretary Leoncio “Jun” Evasco Jr.