MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Tourism (DOT) welcomed on Wednesday the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to reinstate the PHP400 million branding budget to sustain the momentum of promoting the Philippines on the global stage.
In an ambush interview in Pasay City, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco conveyed her appreciation for the move and believes that the “timely” decision of the President underscores the current administration’s strong commitment to positioning the Philippines as a leading destination in the international tourism landscape.
“We are grateful that the President listened and acted right away by saying that PHP400 million will be added to our promotions budget to bring it back to the 500 million original proposal in the NEP [National Expenditure Program],” Frasco told reporters.
Secretary Frasco earlier expressed her concern when it was revealed that the funding for the agency’s branding and promotion programs under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2025 was slashed from the proposed budget under the NEP this year.
“The most affected change from NEP to GAA would be the budget for branding and promotions of the Philippines to our markets all over the world, dahil sa NEP ang budget nito ay around P500 million, but when the GAA was released it has been reduced to P100 million,” Frasco said in an interview on the program Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.
This is not the first time the budget of the DOT was substantially reduced, according to Frasco.
She said the DOT suffered a “hefty” budget cut for its branding program, from Php1.2 billion in 2023 to only Php200 million in 2024, equivalent to a reduction of Php1 billion.
According to Frasco, the order was transferred the same day the DOT communicated its “grave concern” before Marcos during a meeting on Wednesday.
Due to this, DOT can now sustain the momentum that it has gained for Love the Philippines global tourism campaign, and more important, would mean more tourism spending and more livelihood and jobs for the Filipino people, Frasco stated.
