Malacañang on Tuesday said the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged some PHP14 million in foreign travel receivables under the Office of the President (OP) because several government agencies have not yet reimbursed expenses that the OP initially advanced for multiagency official trips.
In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stressed that the COA observation does not point to irregularities in the Marcos administration’s travel spending but simply reflects delayed payments that other agencies must settle.
“Collection letters were already issued in April and May 2025. Of the said amount, PHP7,887,555.64 or 55 percent were already collected to date. The OP consistently monitors the outstanding bills through monthly aging report and sending of collection demand letters,” Castro said, citing the OP’s official response to the COA report.
She clarified that the OP advanced certain costs to ensure the smooth execution of foreign missions involving multiple agencies.
Castro emphasized that the agencies’ reimbursements are essential to maintain OP operations.
“Kailangan pong bayaran… hindi po aandar ang pagtatrabaho ng OP (They must be paid… the OP cannot function properly without reimbursement),” she said.
She noted that the OP itself may be flagged if receivables remain unsettled, prompting the issuance of demand letters.
“Nagbibigay na po ng mga demands ang OP… dumadaan ito sa legal na proseso (The OP has issued demand letters… this goes through legal procedures),” she added.
Asked why some agencies were late in remitting payments, Castro said internal procedures may have contributed to the delay.
“May mga legal na proseso na dapat sundin (There are legal processes that must be followed),” she said.
“Aalamin po natin kung bakit na-delay (We will look into why the payments were delayed).”
