BERLIN, Germany — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said that he does not go on leisure trips abroad, apparently reacting to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s pointed remarks in his globetrotting.    

Duterte had questioned the necessity of such trips by Marcos during economic uncertainty and domestic challenges.

Marcos, rummaging through a pile of documents, then showed his schedule in Berlin to the media.

“This is my schedule. What about frequent traveling? It’s my schedule for today. Frequent traveling? It’s not. You know that, you’re with us,” Marcos said. “Even in the places that I know where I have spent a lot of time, I haven’t visited the places I used to go to because we’re here to do this.”

Although many travelers face financial limitations, Marcos’ regular trips abroad have resulted in the government overspending by P84 million as of 2022 alone.

In 2022, the Office of the President surpassed its allotted budget of P314 million, spending a total of P398 million on travel, as outlined in the General Appropriations Act for that fiscal year.

Under the 2024 national budget, Marcos Jr. had to receive P1.408 billion to cover his domestic and international travels.

This allocation, specified in Republic Act 11975, also known as the General Appropriations Act of 2024, represents a 58 percent increase compared to Marcos’ P893.57-billion allotment for the current year.

Since assuming office in June 2022, Marcos has made 24 foreign trips, including to Germany. His upcoming visit to Prague, Czech Republic, will be his 25th.

In 2023, he traveled 11 times in different countries, namely: Beijing, China; Davos, Switzerland; twice in Tokyo, Japan; Washington DC, United States; United Kingdom; Labuan Bajo, Indonesia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Jakarta, Indonesia; Singapore; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Honolulu, US. 

“As for other comments, I’m confused by PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte). He keeps changing (his statements). I have to examine it further and read it because I only heard quick news and his remarks.”

He highlighted the need to fully understand Duterte’s statements before responding comprehensively.

“I really didn’t understand. Because each of his words seems different. It’s different. So, I will try to make sense of it,” he said.

Earlier this year, Duterte accused his successor of being a “drug addict” without evidence and of trying to amend the Constitution to extend his term.

Marcos added that he opposed the bloody war against illegal drugs waged by the previous administration, saying that he preferred a more compassionate approach to solving the problem.

Marcos made the remarks in his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during his working visit here after the latter inquired about his approach to illegal drugs compared to former President Rodrigo Duterte.

“I am diametrically opposed to handling the drug problem in that way, by confrontation, by violence. It really requires a much deeper understanding of the problem and a much deeper solution,” Marcos said.

He was referring to the thousands of people who were killed in police anti-drug operations during the Duterte administration.

Official government data culled from the Philippine National Police put the number of deaths in Duterte’s war on drugs at almost 7,000, but figures were said to be twice or thrice, based on other sources, including critics of Duterte.

A similar anti-drug campaign characterized Duterte’s tenure as Davao City mayor, where the so-called Davao Death Squad reportedly killed thousands of drug suspects with impunity. 

Marcos said he changed the government’s approach to the drug problem upon assuming office. “It is a big problem, but our approach has changed significantly,” he stressed.

As part of the reforms, Marcos said the PNP would be restructured to remove certain police officers implicated in “various illegal activities” carried out during the previous administration.

“We are starting to move them out, and some of them have already been tried and convicted, are now in jail and serving time. It’s a difficult problem because the money involved is so much that it’s hard for the government to compete with the kind of money that’s being thrown around by the drug lords,” he added. 

The Chief Executive is on a three-day working visit to Germany, where he met with Scholz to strengthen bilateral ties between the Philippines and Germany.