Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 1) – After the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) was scrutinized by Sen. Raffy Tulfo for its allegedly excessive travel budget of ₱1.1 billion, the agency clarified that Sec. Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga’s foreign trips had cost just over ₱3 million.

During the DENR’s budget hearing on Nov. 20, Tulfo said the DENR chief had embarked on 13 to 14 foreign trips in 2023 and questioned why the agency had such a large travel budget.

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In response to Tulfo’s criticisms, the DENR on Friday said the travel budget under the Office of the Secretary worth ₱1.107 billion – listed as travelling expenses in the 2023 budget – covered local and foreign trips for the entire agency.

This includes its central office (CO), five staff bureaus, 16 regional offices, 76 Provincial Environment and Natural Resources offices, and 146 Community Environment and Natural Resource offices.

It further disclosed that as of Nov. 23, 2023, the DENR-CO had spent ₱45.169 million of the travel budget.

The DENR-CO is made up of the Office of the Secretary, nine Undersecretary offices, seven Assistant Secretary offices, the offices of 10 service directors and 33 divisions, and special projects and other offices.

Of the CO’s travel budget, the DENR said ₱3.048 million went to Loyzaga’s official missions abroad as Environment Secretary, or 0.002% of the total travel allocation.

This is not the first time that lawmakers have scrutinized the DENR travel budget.

In November 2021, when it was under former Secretary Roy Cimatu, then Senate President Vicente Sotto questioned why the agency had ₱1.28 billion in travel expenses during that year’s budget season.

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