MANILA — The P1.4-billion budget proposal next year for President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr's trips is "justified" since this would be used to woo investors in the country, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Thursday.

The Office of the President is asking for a P1.408 billion budget for Marcos Jr's local trips, foreign missions and state visits in 2024, higher than the P893 million it sought this year.

• Palace: Marcos, Jr's foreign trips this 2022 yield $23.6-B in investment pledges

"Iyong travel po ng Presidente, dalawa pong klase iyan – mayroon pong state visit that they invite you and then mayroon din po iyong mga investment road show," Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said.

"So, I think iyong expenses po ng travel, as long as it will be beneficial and mas may advantage po para sa bansa natin, I think okay lang po iyon – it’s justified," she told Palace reporters.

(The President's travels have 2 classifications: state visits where the invite you and investment road shows. I think travel expenses, as long as they're beneficial to the country, I think those are okay, justified.)

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The budget chief added that Cabinet members and other government officials embark on foreign travels to present to other countries the Philippines as an investment hub.

Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual in early July said around $88 million (4.84 billion) worth of investment pledges from Marcos Jr's foreign trips could materialize this year.

The President has so far embarked on 14 overseas trips, the most recent of which was his 3-day state visit to Malaysia.

As of February, these trips have yielded a total of P3.48 trillion or $62.926 billion worth of investment pledges covering 116 projects, Malacañang earlier said.

• DTI: $88-M pledges from Marcos trips 'may materialize' in 2023