Cabinet travel perks

The Lenten period plus the Araw ng Kagitingan gave many of us at least five straight days of vacation last week. So it was a good time as any to really do out of town trips and travels. In case you missed it, coteries of government functionaries led by two Cabinet officials made an ocular inspection of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) passenger terminals before the travel surge for this long holiday break we just had.

Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Frasco, and Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista led a joint cursory inspection visit, along with their respective sub-Cabinet officials and heads of other government agencies operating inside NAIA Terminal-2. The inspection visit was supposed to stir public awareness on the government’s measures to promote safety, security and the wellbeing of all passengers taking air transport during the peak period of travel.

Starting May 1, the Bureau of Immigration announced the full implementation of the eTravel platform for the paperless processing of both arriving and departing passengers. Travelers would have to fill out the online form as early as 72 hours but not later than three hours before their departure flights.

The eTravel platform replaced the paper arrival card and the One Health Pass, or health declaration form that travelers must accomplish for immigration clearance. The DOT earlier launched on Feb. 28 its Online Travel Tax Services Systems that allows travelers the option to pay their travel tax online before their scheduled flight.

Incidentally, all domestic flights will be transferred to NAIA-2 by July 1 this year as among the DOTr measures to cut long queues of passengers at the Immigration and further improvements in the operations of our country’s premier ports of entry. Aesthetically, it was a welcome sight to see improvements in the NAIA-2, especially with the use of native craft furniture and decorative bamboo ceiling lamps. But please, don’t overdo it.

Take the case of whoever’s bright idea in decorating with plastic flowers the handrails of air stairs to the presidential plane. Such unneeded decorations degraded the business and official status of the recent visit to Japan of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM). As officially confirmed by Malacanang, PBBM is flying next to London to attend the coronation rites of British Empire King Charles III on May 5-6.

These presidential travels are very expensive but needed. But such colorful flower décors are un-presidential. This only cheapens the State value of the President’s official missions abroad.

Speaking of official trips, a third of Cabinet officials of PBBM are currently all in abroad, at least six are in the United States. His economic team composed of Finance Sec. Benjamin Diokno, Economic Planning Sec. Arsenio Balisacan and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman are still in Washington to attend the annual meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (WB-IMF). Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Felipe Medalla joined them.

Also in Washington are Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo Jr. and Defense Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr. for the 2 + 2 Ministerial Meeting. Or this is the meeting with their respective US Cabinet counterpart officials, State Department Secretary Antony Blinken and Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin III. Ostensibly the meeting is about bilateral matters that included the just agreed additional four sites for the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

The economic team and the tandem of Manalo and Galvez, were assisted in Washington by Philippine ambassador to the US, Babes Romualdez. This could be laying the ground works for the official visit to the US that PBBM may undertake this year. It could take place either before or after the London trip. PBBM and US President Joe Biden first met in the past at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in October last year.

If plans push through, PBBM’s travel route will end in his attending the annual Leaders’ Summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on May 9-11 in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Department of Local Government and Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos is flying today to Hongkong to speak before the Innoex 2023 organized by the government of the Hongkong Special Administrative Region and the Hongkong Trade Development Council.

Another Cabinet official, Information and Communication Secretary Ivan John Uy is purportedly on official trip to the US. But for what event or purpose could not be ascertained as of this writing. The usually reliable Politiko.com.ph reported last Sunday that Uy is “reportedly at risk of being kicked out of his position in the coming days.” No official words though have come out from Malacanang.

One of Uy’s official acts before he left abroad last week was to grant the request for “leave of absence” of DICT Undersecretary Anna Mae Llamentillo. Recently voted as the “Number 1” spokesperson in the present administration, Llamentillo disclosed in her Facebook account of her pursuing finally a daughter’s promise to a late father’s wish to see her become a lawyer. She filed for a “leave of absence” to supposedly give her enough time for review and pass the Bar examinations set in September this year.

According to the source of online news site Politiko, Uy was allegedly being taken to task for lack of progress on PBBM’s “inclusive digital network” to connect geographically isolated and displaced areas. “Uy allegedly failed to fulfill the duties assigned to him by the President and was frequently travelling abroad,” Politiko reported. In fairness though to Uy, a number of his foreign trips included his being part of the President’s official delegation.

To date, PBBM has embarked on nine state and official travels abroad since he took office on June 30 last year. Usually required to accompany the President in these foreign travels, key Cabinet officials get to see the world.