# Senate Committee on Finance: CSC, DOT - September 28, 2026 — Source-Linked Digest

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9zzkxm8DXo

AI-assisted working draft. AI can make errors. Always verify consequential interpretations and wording against the cited transcript and official video.

## At a glance

- **Hearing and agencies:** Subcommittee chair Senator Erwin Tulfo led deliberations with Secretary of Tourism Dita Angara-Mathay. The hearing covered the Civil Service Commission (CSC), Career Executive Service Board (CESB), Department of Tourism (DOT), Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), Duty Free Philippines Corporation (DFPC), Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF), Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), and Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA).

- **Civil-service capability:** Members examined unfilled positions, regional service capacity, recruitment and promotion authority, employee records, digital systems and the Career Executive Service Board's screening and development work. CSC said agency heads retain appointment authority, while modernization would connect employee records. CESB sought support for operations after its fee fund closes and Tulfo offered help with replacement vehicles.

- **Tourism delivery:** The discussion linked tourism promotion to market access, routes, affordability, local infrastructure, safety, accreditation and service quality. Officials described current programs and proposed improvements, while members pressed for stronger accountability and follow-through. DOT agreed to send a regional tourism-road wish list; officials described accreditation verification and closer work with local governments.

- **Public corporations and funding:** TPB explained that treasury balances still require spending authority. TIEZA requested a travel-tax transition while replacement funding was unavailable. Tulfo asked DFPC to study its future, including a possible sale requiring legislation; PRA described tighter retiree screening.

- **Committee action:** Tulfo asked for timely replies to prepare the budgets for plenary defense and sought Department of Budget and Management (DBM) participation after its representative cancelled. CSC, CESB and the tourism proposals were deemed submitted for plenary consideration; this did not approve appropriations.

Reading note: Based on the reviewed hearing transcript at revision 34. Transcript review was ASR-assisted. Follow the timestamps to the transcript and official video. Proposed allocations, original submissions, later additions and corporate funds are distinguished; material ambiguities in scope, units or funding availability are preserved.

## Agency budget summary

### Civil Service Commission (CSC)

For FY2027, the CSC's National Expenditure Program (NEP) allocation was PHP 4.04 billion against its PHP 4.82 billion agency request.

[00:34:07 · asr-000582](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000582) · [00:34:09 · asr-000583](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000583) · [00:34:11 · asr-000584](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000584)

### Career Executive Service Board (CESB)

For FY2027, CESB said its original submission to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) was PHP 219 million; the NEP provided PHP 142.857 million.

[01:01:54 · asr-001055](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001055)

### Department of Tourism (DOT)

For FY2027, DOT identified PHP 4.029 billion as its NEP allocation, covering the Office of the Secretary (OSEC), attached national government agencies and corporations. Angara-Mathay affirmed an approximately PHP 12 billion original proposal discussed by the chair, but it remained unclear whether the request covered OSEC alone or the broader package. Separately, OSEC's NEP proposal was PHP 3.53 billion, PHP 163.63 million below its FY2026 level; the broader package was described as 4.64% below the FY2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

In a separate like-for-like comparison, the combined FY2026 GAA new appropriations for the DOT OSEC, Intramuros Administration (IA), National Parks Development Committee (NPDC), and Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving (PCSSD) were PHP 4.16 billion, compared with PHP 3.96 billion in the FY2027 NEP. That four-body comparison has a narrower scope than the broader DOT package above.

[01:24:43 · asr-001302](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001302) · [01:24:53 · asr-001307](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001307) · [01:24:57 · asr-001309](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001309) · [01:30:46 · asr-001467](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001467) · [01:31:06 · asr-001474](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001474) · [00:19:04 · asr-000129](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000129) · [00:19:07 · asr-000131](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000131) · [00:19:10 · asr-000132](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000132) · [01:30:35 · asr-001465](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001465) · [01:30:45 · asr-001466](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001466)

### Tourism Promotions Board (TPB)

For FY2027, the NEP subsidy was PHP 1.1 billion against TPB's original DBM request of PHP 1.3 billion. This was down from the PHP 1.4 billion FY2026 subsidy; these are subsidy figures, separate from TPB's corporate operating budget.

[01:47:58 · asr-001848](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001848) · [01:48:00 · asr-001849](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001849) · [00:19:18 · asr-000136](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000136) · [00:19:20 · asr-000137](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000137)

### Duty Free Philippines Corporation (DFPC)

DFPC's FY2027 corporate sources of funds totaled PHP 3.134 billion: PHP 2.808 billion from internally generated revenue and PHP 326.326 million in DBM capitalization under the NEP. A distinct original submission total was not stated.

[02:22:39 · asr-002502](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002502) · [02:22:50 · asr-002503](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002503) · [02:22:53 · asr-002504](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002504)

### Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF)

NPF reported a FY2027 corporate budget of PHP 73 million: PHP 20 million for personnel services, PHP 50 million for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), and 1.378 for capital outlay, with no unit repeated for that component. It said it received no national-government budget or subsidy and had continued to request zero national-budget funding.

[02:35:32 · asr-002851](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002851) · [02:34:53 · asr-002838](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002838) · [02:34:54 · asr-002839](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002839) · [00:19:44 · asr-000149](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000149) · [00:19:46 · asr-000150](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000150)

### Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA)

TIEZA said DBM gave it zero allocation in the FY2027 NEP after it submitted a proposed budget. Its separate board-approved FY2027 corporate operating budget was stated as PHP 7.731676 billion, including shares for the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA); TIEZA's own proposed share was PHP 4.038 billion. The presentation did not give a separate original DBM request total. The opening comparison said the locally funded project allocation of PHP 1 billion in FY2026 fell to zero for FY2027; that project-line comparison is distinct from TIEZA's full corporate budget.

[02:16:44 · asr-002402](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002402) · [02:39:16 · asr-002912](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002912) · [02:39:30 · asr-002913](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002913) · [02:39:35 · asr-002914](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002914) · [00:19:22 · asr-000138](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000138) · [00:19:27 · asr-000141](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000141)

### Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA)

PRA said it was not asking the government for money. No FY2027 NEP allocation or corporate operating budget total was stated.

[02:42:05 · asr-002956](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002956)

## Civil Service Commission (CSC) budget

### FY2027 components and prior-year regular subsidy

Within CSC's FY2027 NEP allocation, PHP 1.453 billion funded the Philippine Civil Service Modernization Program (PCSMP), a foreign-assisted project, and PHP 2.587 billion was regular subsidy. CSC Chairperson Marilyn B. Yap described the FY2026 regular subsidy as PHP 2.56 billion.

The FY2027 allocation comprised PHP 1.882 billion for personal services, PHP 1.238 billion for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), and PHP 919 million for capital outlay. Yap attributed the personal-services increase principally to the fourth tranche of the updated salary schedule, and said MOOE and capital outlay increases supported inflation adjustments, information and communications technology requirements, and PCSMP implementation.

[00:33:59 · asr-000578](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000578) · [00:36:24 · asr-000651](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000651) · [00:36:27 · asr-000652](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000652) · [00:36:30 · asr-000654](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000654) · [00:36:33 · asr-000655](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000655) · [00:36:38 · asr-000657](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000657) · [00:40:25 · asr-000722](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000722)

### FY2026 utilization

CSC reported 100% obligation and disbursement rates from 2022 to 2025. For FY2026, as of June, it reported budget utilization of 39.46% and a disbursement rate of 39.39%.

[00:39:36 · asr-000714](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000714) · [00:39:55 · asr-000717](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000717) · [00:40:02 · asr-000718](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000718)

### Restoration request and regional service needs

Tulfo asked about CSC's PHP 783 million restoration request for an unfunded proposal. Yap confirmed it was listed in CSC's submission and said the agency would make do in the meantime, while emphasizing regional and major field offices. She asked to submit the detailed breakdown; Tulfo instructed her to submit it to the committee. Yap cited constrained regional office space, including the San Fernando office, and said some offices were housed with local governments or other regional offices.

Yap also described a request for operational mobility, saying many vehicles were seven years old and more expensive to repair and maintain than to replace. For the central office, CSC requested PHP 22 million for an initial solar project to protect frontline services from brownouts and storms. Tulfo said they could advocate for the solar request. The exchange records a request, an instruction to submit details, and verbal support, but no appropriation approval or final disposition.

[00:51:18 · asr-000885](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000885) · [00:51:52 · asr-000895](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000895) · [00:52:18 · asr-000902](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000902) · [00:52:56 · asr-000908](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000908) · [00:53:01 · asr-000909](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000909)

## Career Executive Service Board (CESB) budget

### Revolving fund transition and additional funding

For FY2027, CESB identified PHP 31.6 million in NEP maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) for core operations previously financed by its examination and training fee revolving fund. The NEP covers personnel services and MOOE, with no capital outlay. CESB described it as 34% above its FY2026 budget, reflecting 58% growth in MOOE and 8% in personnel services. The revolving fund closes after 2026, requiring those operations to be financed through the General Appropriations Act (GAA). CESB proposed adding language to the FY2027 GAA general provisions to cover examinations, assessment, performance validation and panel interviews.

On top of the NEP, CESB asked the Senate Committee on Finance to reconsider an additional ₱66.917 million, describing ₱18.9 million of prioritized items within its original proposal, including replacement of six unserviceable vehicles. In response to Senator Erwin Tulfo, Executive Director Maria Marcy Cosare-Ballesteros said the vehicle request had not been included and gave its amount as ₱13.251 million, which CESB had sought for four years. The additional request also covered equipment for approved new plantilla positions, repairs and maintenance, professional services for monitoring construction of a new CESB building at UP Diliman funded under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and rehabilitation of the old CESB building’s electrical system and related structural repairs. Cosare-Ballesteros confirmed those building works were included in the additional request. CESB was renting temporary space because it could not occupy the old building; the blackout prompting the rehabilitation request occurred after the DBM submission deadline.

CESB requested a revised total FY2027 budget of PHP 209.774 million after the proposed addition. Tulfo said he would help with the vehicle request. Tulfo closed questioning and said the proposed budgets of the Civil Service Commission and CESB were deemed submitted for plenary consideration.

[01:02:24 · asr-001056](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001056) · [01:03:24 · asr-001058](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001058) · [01:04:24 · asr-001060](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001060) · [01:04:54 · asr-001061](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001061) · [01:05:11 · asr-001061-split-2](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001061-split-2) · [01:05:17 · asr-001061-split-3](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001061-split-3) · [01:05:18 · asr-001061-split-5](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001061-split-5) · [01:05:25 · asr-001062-split-2](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001062-split-2) · [01:05:54 · asr-001063](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001063) · [01:06:14 · asr-001063-split-2](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001063-split-2) · [01:06:17 · asr-001063-split-3](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001063-split-3) · [01:06:19 · asr-001063-split-5](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001063-split-5) · [01:06:31 · asr-001064-split-6](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001064-split-6) · [01:06:54 · asr-001065](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001065) · [01:12:10 · asr-001077](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001077) · [01:05:31 · asr-001062-split-3](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001062-split-3) · [01:06:27 · asr-001064-split-2](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001064-split-2)

### Return of the fee fund

Tulfo asked why CESB’s revolving fund was closing and what balance remained. Cosare-Ballesteros said the remaining balance was “66” without stating a unit in the transcript, that some of it was still being used for activities, and that the balance would be returned to the National Treasury by year-end. She confirmed CESB could no longer use the fund next year and that the activities would instead be funded through the GAA; she described the NEP MOOE increase as covering costs formerly charged to the revolving fund.

[01:09:33 · asr-001070-split-2](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001070-split-2) · [01:10:00 · asr-001071-split-2](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001071-split-2) · [01:10:11 · asr-001071-split-4](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001071-split-4) · [01:10:36 · asr-001072-split-4](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001072-split-4)

## Department of Tourism (DOT) budget

### FY2027 investment priorities

For FY2027, the DOT NEP includes PHP 1 billion for the branding campaign and PHP 230.2 million for tourism industry training.

[01:25:39 · asr-001330](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001330) · [01:25:41 · asr-001331](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001331) · [01:25:43 · asr-001332](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001332)

### Priority project additions

Beyond the NEP priorities, DOT Undersecretary Ma. Dionesa A. Rivera-Guillermo requested an additional ₱253.25 million for three projects not included in the FY2027 NEP: ₱40.77 million for OSEC business development initiatives, ₱130 million for the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC)’s Japanese Garden redevelopment, and ₱82.49 million for the Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving (PCSSD)’s dive safety, industry development and sustainability program. She described these as the three highest-priority projects, while identifying ₱1.732 billion as the broader requirement of DOT and its attached agencies and corporations for tourism development, infrastructure, operations and other nationwide programs. The broader requirement is distinct from the ₱253.25 million priority list and the speakers did not present it as an original DBM submission or reconcile it as an amount to add to the NEP. Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay closed by seeking committee support for the FY2027 tourism budget and additional project funding; no approval or appropriation outcome for these requests is stated in this unit.

[01:26:11 · asr-001346](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001346) · [01:26:19 · asr-001350](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001350) · [01:26:21 · asr-001351](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001351) · [01:26:37 · asr-001359](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001359) · [01:26:45 · asr-001363](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001363) · [01:26:47 · asr-001364](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001364) · [01:27:25 · asr-001382](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001382) · [01:27:27 · asr-001383](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001383) · [01:30:00 · asr-001457](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001457)

### Budget execution and final-quarter programs

Angara-Mathay reported FY2025 budget utilization of 86% and disbursement of 88% as of September 21, 2026. For FY2026 she gave utilization of 55% and disbursement of 61%, and said major programs were scheduled for the final quarter.

[01:23:44 · asr-001275](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001275) · [01:24:01 · asr-001281](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001281) · [01:24:05 · asr-001283](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001283)

### Utilization and settlement of obligations

Tulfo cited PHP 3.3 billion in unused DOT OSEC appropriations and questioned low utilization, saying he believed it contributed to the reduction of DOT's requested budget. Rivera-Guillermo reported utilization of 56% as of September 28, compared with 35% in June 2026. She attributed the slower pace to recalibration of priorities under the new administration and expected obligations to accelerate from October through the tourism branding campaign, industry training, and market and product development programs.

Asked about approximately PHP 1.2 billion in FY2025 unpaid obligations, Rivera-Guillermo said PHP 315.9 million remained outstanding as of the exchange. She said the balance mainly covered contracts with milestones, payable after deliverables were completed and validated, and the department was targeting 100% settlement by year-end. These were her reported status and target, not a confirmed later outcome.

[01:31:57 · asr-001485](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001485) · [01:33:06 · asr-001499](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001499) · [01:34:22 · asr-001516](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001516) · [01:34:55 · asr-001528](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001528) · [01:35:15 · asr-001536](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001536)

### Unfunded tourism roads and priority list

Tulfo asked whether DOT’s Tourism Road Infrastructure Program (TRIP) had zero FY2027 funding. Undersecretary Maria Victoria V. Jasmin said DOT had proposed PHP 6.02 billion for about 28 projects, but TRIP projects received no FY2027 funding, saying the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had other priorities. Angara-Mathay said a DOT-DPWH convergence arrangement was followed by DPWH saying the work would transfer to it, but DOT’s request was not funded; she asked for funding if fiscal space allowed and said DOT could implement it. She confirmed TRIP was separate from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA). When Tulfo asked the amount, she gave PHP 6 billion for 28 vetted projects that had passed the criteria. Tulfo asked DOT to submit a regional wish list for committee review, and Angara-Mathay agreed to submit it for later discussion. This was a request and list-submission commitment; the exchange records no additional appropriation or approval.

[01:35:23 · asr-001540](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001540) · [01:36:20 · asr-001551](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001551) · [01:36:34 · asr-001553](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001553) · [01:39:17 · asr-001614](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001614) · [01:40:29 · asr-001640](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001640) · [01:40:53 · asr-001647](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001647)

### DOT branding budget

Senator Joseph Victor "JV" G. Ejercito asked how DOT would use the Senate-added PHP 500 million for international tourism promotion in FY2026 and whether it was enough to compete with other destinations. DOT Assistant Secretary Armand Lorenze V. Sapitan said about PHP 500 million was provided for 2026. He described about PHP 400 million for a brand refresh, including PHP 150 million being bid for creative work, around PHP 248 million for media placements abroad, and around PHP 33 million for a regional campaign library; he said the remainder covered administration. He proposed doubling branding funding in the next budget. The figures are presented as funding allocations and a request; this exchange does not record final approval of the request.

For an international comparison, Sapitan cited marketing budgets of USD 499 million for Thailand, USD 418 million for Singapore, USD 331 million for Malaysia and USD 86.68 million for the Philippines. He said each USD 1 million invested in Philippine marketing brought 74,758 tourists or travelers, and described Vietnam as relying on private-sector investment and promotion.

Within the proposed branding budget, Sapitan outlined PHP 200 million for another media agency to supplement the 'Refresh Love the Philippines' campaign, PHP 25 million for campaign monitoring and analytics, PHP 25 million for a brand-health tracker, and PHP 100 million for sub-brand and global media campaigns such as 'Discover More to Love.' He described partnerships and co-branding with private-sector partners and local tour operators as another component, without stating an amount for it. These are proposed uses, not separate approved appropriations.

[01:56:13 · asr-002062](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002062) · [01:58:33 · asr-002133](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002133) · [01:58:36 · asr-002135](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002135) · [01:58:44 · asr-002140](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002140) · [01:58:46 · asr-002141](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002141) · [01:58:51 · asr-002144](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002144) · [01:59:46 · asr-002174](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002174) · [01:59:48 · asr-002175](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002175) · [01:59:51 · asr-002177](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002177) · [01:59:53 · asr-002178](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002178) · [01:59:56 · asr-002180](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002180) · [02:00:09 · asr-002183](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002183) · [02:01:10 · asr-002191](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002191) · [02:01:32 · asr-002195](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002195) · [02:02:00 · asr-002198](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002198) · [02:02:54 · asr-002208](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002208) · [01:57:56 · asr-002119](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002119)

## Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) budget

### FY2027 corporate operating budget and contingency

TPB separately reported a FY2027 corporate operating budget (COB) of PHP 1.19 billion, with 60% allocated to marketing and promotions. It said it retained all 160 authorized and filled positions and PHP 67.9 million as special contingency funds for emerging priorities during the year.

[01:48:23 · asr-001856](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001856) · [01:52:25 · asr-001938](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001938)

### SAG-F balance, spending authority and release discussions

Tulfo asked why PHP 25.7 billion in the TPB Special Account in the General Fund (SAG-F) remained unallocated in the National Treasury and what TPB had done to obtain access. TPB Chief Operating Officer Margarita Montemayor Nograles explained that SAG-F availability alone does not authorize spending: TPB submits programs and funding needs through the annual budget call, and after DBM evaluation and approval the corresponding amounts enter TPB's COB as spending authority. She said DBM had acknowledged the funds were earmarked for tourism use and that TPB could work with DBM in 2027 to release other requests in tranches. The exchange does not record a release or spending authorization of the entire balance.

[01:53:17 · asr-001960](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001960) · [01:53:46 · asr-001976](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001976) · [01:54:33 · asr-002007](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002007)

### TPB budget utilization

TPB reported 64.5% utilization as of September, 10.6% growth versus the prior year, and about 90% utilization in the previous year. It also cited utilization of 98% and 92% in the two years before that.

[01:50:10 · asr-001891](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001891)

### Reduced activity scale and affected programs

Senator Joseph Victor "JV" G. Ejercito asked which programs would be affected by the PHP 200 million reduction from the requested amount. Nograles said TPB retained its key programs but downsized some activities: a larger show might be made smaller or replaced by business-to-business meetings without a show. TPB still intended to participate in travel-trade shows, while domestic programs, including community-based tourism, Philippine Motorcycle Tourism and cyclo-tourism, also faced cuts. She offered to provide the full list; no additional disposition was recorded in this exchange.

[01:55:18 · asr-002029](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002029) · [01:55:23 · asr-002030](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002030)

## Duty Free Philippines Corporation (DFPC) budget

### FY2027 corporate program uses

For FY2027, DFPC reported approximately PHP 2.996 billion in program uses, primarily for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), capital investments and personnel services. The proposed capitalization is intended to support strategic investments and revenue-generating capacity.

[02:22:58 · asr-002506](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002506)

### Capitalization request and intended store expansion

Tulfo asked why the requested capitalization should be provided despite DFPC's apparent 2025 loss. Chief Operating Officer Patrick Joel M. Cinco explained that the Tourism Act authorized PHP 500 million in capitalization in 2009, but DFPC did not receive that equity. He said requests to secure the authorized capitalization had been made from 2015 onward and were denied because of tight fiscal space and other priorities. For the current request, DFPC supplied DBM with proposed projects; Cinco said the requested capitalization would fund development and expansion at key international gateways, particularly Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminals 1 and 3. Tulfo confirmed the funding was for additional duty-free shops, and Cinco agreed. DFPC projected sales of 78 million from the new stores, but the transcript does not specify the currency for that projection.

[02:26:28 · asr-002551](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002551) · [02:26:45 · asr-002560](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002560) · [02:27:56 · asr-002607](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002607) · [02:27:57 · asr-002608](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002608)

### Sales recovery and remittances

Cinco reported DFPC sales of USD 35 million in 2021, USD 103 million in 2023, USD 82 million in 2025 and approximately USD 45.7 million as of August 2026. He attributed the decline to changes in retail conditions and customer buying behavior, competition, high operating costs and airport concession fees, and currency-exchange volatility.

He separately reported cumulative remittances to the Department of Tourism of PHP 10.401 billion, or about PHP 250 million per year. These remittances are a contribution to government and are not part of DFPC's NEP capitalization request.

[02:23:22 · asr-002511](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002511) · [02:23:32 · asr-002512](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002512) · [02:23:42 · asr-002513](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002513) · [02:24:19 · asr-002518](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002518) · [02:24:32 · asr-002519](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002519)

## Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) budget

### Corporate funding and capital constraints

For FY2027, Tulfo questioned how NPF could execute its mandate with capital outlay he described as PHP 1.5 million. Executive Director Leonila R. Fabul said NPF relies on its corporate investment fund and activity revenue, receives no national-government budget or subsidy and spends only what it has on hand. The exchange did not reconcile Tulfo's figure with the capital-outlay component stated in the presentation.

[02:32:13 · asr-002797](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002797) · [02:38:16 · asr-002896](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002896)

### Park development financing and feasibility

Fabul said NPF was updating the 2021 Comprehensive Master Plan and a National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)-approved PHP 2 billion park-development budget, approved in 2024 and effective through 2028. NPF was reviewing public-private partnership (PPP) and other financing options and preparing procurement for a consultant to complete a feasibility study. In a later exchange, however, Fabul described obtaining the NEDA funding as conditional and said costs could be higher by 2026 than in the 2021 study. The hearing account does not resolve whether the approved plan amount was already secured for NPF.

[02:34:19 · asr-002830](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002830) · [02:34:25 · asr-002832](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002832) · [02:34:27 · asr-002833](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002833) · [02:38:31 · asr-002899](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002899)

### Taxes, dividends and budget use

Fabul reported PHP 17 million in dividends, PHP 539 million in real-property taxes through 2026, and PHP 173 million in Bureau of Internal Revenue income taxes. She said real-property-tax payments take about 30% of NPF's annual budget allocation. NPF's budget utilization was 53%; she said it still expected to pay real-property taxes at year-end.

[02:35:05 · asr-002849](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002849) · [02:35:23 · asr-002850](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002850) · [02:36:40 · asr-002864](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002864)

## Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) budget

### FY2027 corporate costs and receipts

For FY2027, TIEZA stated costs of PHP 738 million for personnel services, PHP 1.077 billion for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), PHP 53.43 million for equipment outlays and PHP 2.17 billion for improvement projects. Its receipts included PHP 202 million from its entities, PHP 54 million in concession fees and PHP 35.48 million from its regulatory office.

[02:39:49 · asr-002915](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002915) · [02:39:56 · asr-002916](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002916) · [02:40:16 · asr-002921](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002921) · [02:40:22 · asr-002922](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002922) · [02:40:27 · asr-002923](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002923) · [02:40:30 · asr-002924](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002924) · [02:40:33 · asr-002925](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002925)

### TIEZA travel-tax funding

Ejercito asked whether the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) had concrete revenue alternatives if the travel tax were abolished. TIEZA Chief Operating Officer Mark T. Lapid said 94% to 95% of TIEZA operations came from travel-tax collections. He said TIEZA submitted its FY2027 proposed budget to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in March in anticipation of abolition, then received a DBM letter in June giving it zero allocation in the FY2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP). TIEZA instead submitted a 2027 corporate operating budget to its board. He described the travel-tax sharing structure as 50% for TIEZA, with the other half going to the Commission on Higher Education and National Commission for Culture and the Arts. This revenue share is distinct from a NEP appropriation.

Lapid described TIEZA-funded work including water and sewage projects in El Nido and Coron, rehabilitation of 10 domestic airports assigned by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, hotels, parks and other tourism facilities, and hyperbaric chambers for dive destinations. Asked what TIEZA sought, he requested a transition period or extension for travel-tax collection while replacement funding was unavailable, saying the agency's ongoing and pipeline projects would otherwise be difficult to sustain. Tulfo said DBM had been invited but did not attend, and that they would need to sit down with DBM. The hearing records no decision extending the tax or providing replacement funds.

[02:15:30 · asr-002382](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002382) · [02:16:13 · asr-002394](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002394) · [02:19:41 · asr-002455](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002455) · [02:21:09 · asr-002478](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002478)

### Unimplemented locally funded projects and pandemic diversion

Tulfo asked about a Commission on Audit finding that TIEZA had not effectively implemented a significant number of locally funded projects with a contract cost of PHP 3.3 billion. Lapid said these projects were among those that lost funding during the pandemic, when the Department of Finance took PHP 12 billion from TIEZA's budget to fund Bayanihan One. Tulfo asked whether this explained the projects' status, and Lapid said yes.

Lapid said TIEZA had explained the matter to COA and submitted materials. He added that TIEZA had received an unqualified opinion from COA.

[02:40:50 · asr-002929](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002929) · [02:40:55 · asr-002930](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002930) · [02:41:00 · asr-002931](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002931) · [02:41:17 · asr-002936](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002936) · [02:41:20 · asr-002937](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002937) · [02:41:26 · asr-002938](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002938) · [02:41:45 · asr-002949](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002949)

## Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) budget

### Self-funding and retirement visa deposits

PRA General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Roberto Z. Zozobrado reported USD 654 million held in PRA bank accounts and expected the balance to exceed USD 700 million by year-end, describing it as evidence that the authority was increasing the country's foreign-currency reserves. The amounts are bank deposits.

[02:42:41 · asr-002965](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002965) · [02:42:49 · asr-002966](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002966)

## Civil Service Commission (CSC) presentation and questioning

### Government staffing and unfilled plantilla positions

Chairperson Marilyn B. Yap described the government workforce under CSC's jurisdiction as more than 3.29 million, including career and non-career professionals and job-order and contract-of-service workers. In response to Senator Erwin Tulfo's questions about vacancies, she said agency heads hold appointment authority and decide whether to fill funded plantilla posts. She said vacancies commonly persist because candidates do not match position-specific qualifications and because recruitment proceeds through publication, screening, interviews and final processing; agencies can hire contract-of-service workers more quickly.

Yap said there were more than 57,000 Department of Education vacancies and that most were teachers. Tulfo asked why agencies did not promote qualified staff into vacancies. Yap said CSC issues anticipatory succession-planning advisories but can only remind agency heads; final decisions and whether to consider external applicants remain with the agencies. CSC was studying ways to focus qualifications on competencies, and Yap hoped to make a competency-based approach an official CSC policy in 2027. She also described a generational shift and retirements outpacing slow recruitment.

[00:26:25 · asr-000350](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000350) · [00:26:39 · asr-000357](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000357) · [00:26:51 · asr-000363](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000363) · [00:27:44 · asr-000389-split-2](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000389-split-2) · [00:30:38 · asr-000477-split-2](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000477-split-2) · [00:31:19 · asr-000498](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000498)

### Modernization, employee records and public assistance

Yap described the PCSMP and related modernization work as a shift from document-based HR management toward integrated digital systems, including a human-resource management information and payroll system (HRMIS-PS) and a civil-service data-management system. She said records were still largely paper-based, limiting access to employee information and planning; Tulfo raised concern that disconnected records could conceal employees working in multiple government posts, and Yap said she could not discount that possibility. CSC had begun electronic personal-data-sheet submission to a database. Tulfo supported the modernization effort.

Yap said the intended PCSMP pilot was for 40 departments/agencies, with 20 additional agencies available to replace those unable to transition, maintaining a target of at least 40 in the first rollout. She said CSC aimed to complete the transition and begin go-live testing of HRMIS-PS, and to digitize exam registration on a continuing basis, examination and results, with results and authenticated eligibility documents available within one day as a 2027 target. CSC also planned to digitize legal and adjudication services to reduce case-processing delays, which Yap said could last three to four years.

Tulfo asked about the long delay in modernization. Yap said she joined CSC late in 2024, had requested modernization since then, and that the loan terms of reference were approved in the second quarter of 2025; she attributed earlier limits partly to a view that computers alone amounted to modernization rather than unified systems.

On promotion complaints, Yap said agency heads retain appointment discretion and CSC checks qualifications when cases come to it. She described plans to certify HR management officers and overhaul qualification standards toward competency-based requirements. CSC has no specific case category for failure to promote, she said, but its Public Assistance Program, Contact Center ng Bayan and help desk receive complaints. Yap wanted the desk to offer legal or additional services, not only receive and refer complaints, and said complaints are confidential. She said the HRMIS-PS could make vacancies and promotion records visible to CSC so it could pursue evidence-based remedial measures; its role in solving favoritism was expressed as a hope, not a guarantee.

[00:43:50 · asr-000759](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000759) · [00:44:20 · asr-000766](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000766) · [00:45:07 · asr-000797](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000797) · [00:49:24 · asr-000871](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000871) · [00:53:16 · asr-000915](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000915) · [00:54:12 · asr-000931](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000931) · [00:58:25 · asr-001003](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001003) · [00:58:32 · asr-001005](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001005) · [00:59:24 · asr-001025](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001025)

## Career Executive Service Board (CESB) presentation and questioning

### Career executive screening, eligibility and services

CESB Executive Director Maria Marcy Cosare-Ballesteros said the board’s mandate covers selection, classification, compensation and career development for Career Executive Service members. Its core career executive screening and development program includes eligibility examinations, appointment and promotion, capacity building, professional development, performance management, recognition, executive placement and external relations, alongside policy and legal work and administrative and information-systems support. She reported 5,742 eligibility applicants, of whom 3,702 had passed the written examination; 2,278 assessment applicants were proceeding to panel validation and interview. CESB was also reaching out to 1,319 incumbents of CES positions, and its June 2026 roster held 3,569 active CES officers and eligibles. The board provides lifelong learning, semester-based performance evaluation and executive placement on demand.

[01:00:24 · asr-001050](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001050) · [01:01:24 · asr-001054](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001054) · [01:07:24 · asr-001066](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001066) · [01:08:24 · asr-001068](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001068) · [01:08:54 · asr-001069](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001069)

### Government executive resource pool

Tulfo asked whether CESB continued to receive “floating” officials from new administrations. Cosare-Ballesteros said the board had updated its government executive resource program rules and that few people had entered its pool since their promulgation.

[01:11:55 · asr-001075-split-2](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001075-split-2) · [01:12:03 · asr-001076](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001076) · [01:11:24 · asr-001074](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001074)

## Department of Tourism presentation

### Tourism performance and economic contribution

Angara-Mathay said tourism generated ₱2.27 trillion in direct gross value added in 2025, or 8.1% of GDP. Domestic tourism expenditure was ₱3.26 trillion, inbound expenditure ₱698 billion and total internal tourism expenditure ₱3.96 trillion. The sector supported 7.70 million jobs, above the pre-pandemic 6.49 million, and international arrivals reached 3.41 million in the first half of 2026, compared with 3.31 million in the same 2025 period. She reported improvement from seventh to sixth in ASEAN arrivals between 2024 and 2025 and fifth place in tourism receipts.



She reported 38,867 tourism stakeholders trained in the first half of 2026 and an 18% increase in accredited enterprises and frontliners, from 14,084 in the first half of 2025 to 15,592 by June 2026. Twenty new international flights had launched by September 26, with 13 more routes and over 472,000 seats projected by year-end. The Philippines ranked sixth globally in documented dive sites, seventh in dive spots and fourth in estimated dive tourism income, valued at US$1.3 billion. Cruise tourism generated US$3.2 billion in total output and contributed US$1.6 billion to GDP in 2024, supporting around 283,000 direct and indirect jobs; cruise calls reached 136 in 2025 and 131 by September 1, 2026. 

The expanded Special Resident Retirees Visa Program generated US$50.23 million in new visa deposits. The inaugural Michelin Guide Philippines recognized 108 establishments, and the Philippines ranked fifth among rising Muslim-friendly non-OIC destinations in the 2026 Global Muslim Travel Index.

[01:17:40 · asr-001106](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001106) · [01:17:51 · asr-001107](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001107) · [01:17:56 · asr-001108](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001108) · [01:18:01 · asr-001112](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001112) · [01:18:27 · asr-001116](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001116) · [01:19:39 · asr-001165](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001165) · [01:20:43 · asr-001197](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001197) · [01:20:45 · asr-001198](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001198) · [01:20:47 · asr-001199](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001199) · [01:20:53 · asr-001202](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001202) · [01:21:29 · asr-001220](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001220)

### Tourism campaign and hotel sales

Angara-Mathay said the Love Philippines “Discover More to Love” campaign is intended to convert promotion into bookings and spending. In its first 100 days, it generated more than 203,000 airline seats sold, over 800 room nights and ₱1.79 million in documented hotel sales.

[01:23:21 · asr-001270](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001270) · [01:23:25 · asr-001272](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001272) · [01:23:31 · asr-001273](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001273) · [01:23:37 · asr-001274](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001274)

### DBM absence and closing request

During the briefing, Tulfo asked for a Department of Budget and Management representative to respond to his questions. The Committee Secretary said a registered DBM representative had cancelled at 3:15 that day. Tulfo instructed the secretary to call the DBM Secretary after the briefing and ask him to report to Tulfo’s office that evening, or, if unreachable, to ask the Department of Finance Secretary to send someone the next day; the Committee Secretary agreed. Tulfo criticized the cancellation and told the DOT secretary to continue. Tulfo apologized for the interruption.

[01:27:47 · asr-001390](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001390) · [01:28:14 · asr-001404](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001404) · [01:29:09 · asr-001431](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001431) · [01:29:21 · asr-001437](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001437)

## Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) presentation and questioning

### Tourism promotion reach and reported sales

Nograles said arrivals across TPB's 13 key markets rose from 2.46 million to 2.6 million and that the number of programs implemented increased from 26 to 46. She distinguished sales leads, a measure of potential business, from actual sales gathered from TPB partners at its shows: leads rose from PHP 2.79 billion to PHP 5.51 billion, while TPB reported actual sales of PHP 152 billion in 2024 and PHP 341 billion in 2025. These are figures as presented by TPB; the account preserves its distinction between potential leads and partner-reported actual sales.

[01:48:47 · asr-001863](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001863) · [01:49:08 · asr-001871](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001871) · [01:49:10 · asr-001872](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001872) · [01:49:46 · asr-001885](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001885) · [01:49:52 · asr-001886](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001886)

### Mandate, industry programs and performance recognition

TPB said its work centers on promoting the Philippines in strategic international markets through travel-trade and business-to-business engagements, strengthening domestic tourism and industry capability through marketing and stakeholder development, and positioning destinations for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions. Nograles reported that the Philippine Pavilion at World Expo Osaka received a Silver Award for Exhibition Design and that its woven Philippine design separately received an iF Design Award. She also said the Commission on Audit commended TPB's procurement and contract implementation for project-management consultancy services covering the Osaka participation.

[01:47:22 · asr-001832](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001832) · [01:51:02 · asr-001907](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001907) · [01:51:26 · asr-001915](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001915)

## Duty Free Philippines Corporation (DFPC) presentation and questioning

### Store offering and operating challenges

In response to Tulfo's concern that DFPC stores lacked products customers wanted, Cinco said duty-free had historically offered access to imported products that were otherwise limited, but competition had expanded. He agreed the merchandise mix needed improvement and said the corporation needed to offer fuller, more distinctive selection to attract customers. Tulfo described feedback from tourists and overseas Filipino workers that desired products, including high-end items and pasalubong, were hard to find. DFPC said it was recovering from pandemic-related changes in buying behavior and saw expansion alongside an improved merchandise mix as part of the response.

[02:28:09 · asr-002618](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002618) · [02:29:02 · asr-002670](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002670)

### Study of DFPC's future and possible sale

Tulfo asked Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay and DFPC to study options for the corporation's future, including a possible sale to an outside operator, potentially for a later administration. He cited previous interest from King Power of Thailand, Lotte of South Korea and DFS of the United States, and reported offers of 4 billion to 5 billion; he did not state the currency. He raised possible employee displacement and suggested asking a buyer to absorb some staff. Cinco agreed to look into the options and said he understood that a sale would require legislation. No sale decision was made.

[02:30:04 · asr-002759](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002759) · [02:30:52 · asr-002766](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002766) · [02:31:26 · asr-002776](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002776)

### Mandate and operations

DFPC said it operates duty- and tax-free merchandising for tourists and returning Filipino travelers, generates foreign exchange and contributes revenue to government. Its FY2027 program was framed around fulfilling that mandate while strengthening financial sustainability across 18 stores located at international gateways.

[02:22:07 · asr-002497](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002497)

## Nayong Pilipino Foundation programs and questioning

### Cultural mandate, training and interim displays

Fabul described NPF's mandate as building a cultural hub with green space and sustainable park operations while supporting tourism through research, development and training. Its programs included Macanayon, Filipinization and Palengke Tourism, with festival management planned. NPF had trained 1,246 people from 17 regions and held 3,000 museum artifacts.

The collection had been displayed at the Clark Expo site in Pampanga and the Tarlac Provincial Museum, and selected artifacts were then on view at the Ayala Museum and National Museum branches in Iloilo and Zamboanga. Until park development, NPF maintained a 3-kilometer bike trail, an arboretum with 3,000 native trees, disc golf and camping areas; it reported 6,500 visitors from 2025 through the presentation.

[02:32:27 · asr-002806](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002806) · [02:33:00 · asr-002815](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002815) · [02:33:08 · asr-002816](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002816) · [02:33:11 · asr-002817](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002817) · [02:33:20 · asr-002818](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002818) · [02:33:27 · asr-002819](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002819) · [02:33:44 · asr-002822](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002822) · [02:33:48 · asr-002823](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002823) · [02:34:01 · asr-002827](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002827)

### Parañaque site and conditional construction start

Asked where the foundation was based, Fabul said it had left the Tarlac Provincial Museum in 2026 and had a site in Parañaque, where construction had not begun. She hoped to break ground within the year if NPF finalized the technical details. Tulfo recalled the former Pasay site and said he valued its educational role for students; Fabul added that NPF had signage at small museums.

[02:37:18 · asr-002875](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002875) · [02:37:27 · asr-002877](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002877) · [02:37:32 · asr-002879](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002879) · [02:37:34 · asr-002881](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002881) · [02:37:55 · asr-002886](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002886) · [02:37:57 · asr-002888](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002888)

## Philippine Retirement Authority presentation and questioning

### Retirement destination recognition and market opportunity

Zozobrado said PRA's mandate is to make the Philippines a destination for foreign retirees and increase the country's foreign-currency reserves. He cited two recent awards: TripZilla named the Philippines Asia's best retirement destination the previous year, and the London-based Expat Repatriation Index named it the world's leading retirement destination this year. He said the latter ranking scored five categories, including visa accessibility, natural beauty, cost of living, hospitality and healthcare, with 20 points assigned to each. The Philippines received a perfect 20 points for visa accessibility; Thailand scored better in healthcare, but the Philippines finished one point ahead overall.

He said the global retirement industry was estimated at USD 70 trillion and argued that a leading destination could attract a share of that market through continued promotion. This was his estimate and potential, not PRA income or a government receipt.

[02:43:20 · asr-002974](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002974) · [02:43:30 · asr-002976](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002976) · [02:43:54 · asr-002981](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002981) · [02:44:00 · asr-002983](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002983) · [02:44:29 · asr-002991](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002991) · [02:44:40 · asr-002994](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002994) · [02:44:45 · asr-002996](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002996) · [02:45:03 · asr-003002](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003002)

### What attracts foreign retirees

Tulfo asked whether retirees choose the Philippines for the economy, tourism infrastructure, safety or other reasons. Zozobrado said cost of living was the leading consideration, followed by Filipino hospitality and the fact that many people speak English. He said the other factors followed these.

[02:45:19 · asr-003010](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003010) · [02:46:27 · asr-003045](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003045) · [02:46:30 · asr-003047](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003047) · [02:46:33 · asr-003049](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003049) · [02:46:39 · asr-003052](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003052)

### Applicant screening and continuing monitoring

Citing concerns raised by the Alice Guo case, Tulfo asked how PRA verifies that applicants are legitimate retirees and screens for security risks. Zozobrado said PRA had strengthened vetting, especially for Chinese applicants, by hiring a military intelligence officer to interview each applicant face to face or, when necessary, by Zoom with visual contact. PRA also hired its own interpreter rather than relying on applicant-provided interpreters, to help identify red flags. Zozobrado said PRA presented its added security measures to the former National Security Council secretary, who approved them in a letter. After issuing retirement visas, PRA sends the intelligence agency NICA a list of new retirees every week for monitoring.

Asked how PRA checks for criminal histories before applicants arrive, Zozobrado said it checks each applicant against the Interpol database and requires a police clearance from the applicant's country of origin, apostilled to verify it.

[02:46:51 · asr-003058](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003058) · [02:47:29 · asr-003070](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003070) · [02:47:50 · asr-003077](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003077) · [02:47:58 · asr-003080](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003080) · [02:48:04 · asr-003081](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003081) · [02:48:21 · asr-003086](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003086) · [02:48:43 · asr-003093](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003093) · [02:48:53 · asr-003097](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003097) · [02:49:07 · asr-003101](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003101) · [02:49:19 · asr-003104](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003104) · [02:49:49 · asr-003116](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003116) · [02:50:00 · asr-003119](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003119) · [02:50:04 · asr-003120](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003120)

## Budget accountability priorities

### Budget deliberation and accountability criteria

Senator Erwin Tulfo said the subcommittee would examine how FY2027 proposals support agency mandates and what results the public could expect. For the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and Career Executive Service Board (CESB), he highlighted merit, professionalism, integrity, effective career executive services, CSC modernization and digitalization, and additional budget requirements. For DOT and its attached entities, he pointed to tourism development and promotion, stronger destinations and industry, jobs and livelihoods, and benefits reaching communities. He said additional requests should explain their need, beneficiaries, expected results and implementation capacity, with realistic targets. He questioned requests from agencies that still held unused or undisbursed funds, arguing that unspent prior-year budgets could justify reductions or reallocation. He then recognized CSC Chairperson Marilyn B. Yap to present the FY2027 proposal.

[00:17:16 · asr-000095](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000095) · [00:19:59 · asr-000157](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000157) · [00:20:31 · asr-000173](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000173) · [00:21:13 · asr-000194](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-000194)

## Senator Erwin Tulfo

### Domestic travel costs and access

Tulfo argued that poor roads and access to destinations could deter visitors and said domestic travel could cost more than trips to Hong Kong or Vietnam. Undersecretary Verna Esmeralda C. Buensuceso replied that about 7.6 million Filipinos traveled abroad the previous year, fewer than the 140 million domestic trips reported in DOT’s household survey. She put outbound traveler expenditure at PHP 357 million, compared with about PHP 3.26 trillion spent on domestic trips. Tulfo cited fares of PHP 12,000 to PHP 15,000 for Hong Kong and a PHP 4,000 peso-fare ticket as examples of the price competition he meant.

Undersecretary Stanley K. Ng attributed high domestic airfares to strong demand and constrained infrastructure: short provincial runways limit aircraft and passenger capacity, and some airports cannot operate at night. He said Manila airport handled about 40 movements per hour, while Gatwick handled more than 50 on a single runway; parallel runways can increase capacity. He also cited a shortage of hotel rooms as a factor in higher travel costs. The exchange linked accessibility and infrastructure to visitor costs but did not quantify a fare comparison across destinations.

[01:42:56 · asr-001700](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001700) · [01:42:58 · asr-001701](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001701) · [01:43:04 · asr-001704](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001704) · [01:43:22 · asr-001713](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001713) · [01:43:28 · asr-001716](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001716) · [01:43:30 · asr-001717](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001717) · [01:41:16 · asr-001657](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001657) · [01:42:14 · asr-001679](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001679) · [01:43:50 · asr-001727](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001727)

### Brand continuity proposal

Tulfo challenged DOT's changing tourism taglines across administrations and asked whether a law should preserve one national brand. Angara-Mathay agreed that the tagline should not keep changing, said she would preserve "Love the Philippines," and explained that "Discover More to Love" was a domestic sub-campaign under that brand. Asked about legislation, she supported legislating the continuity of "Love the Philippines"; Ejercito also supported using one enduring brand. This was a suggestion and expressions of support only: no bill was filed or law enacted in this exchange.

[02:03:12 · asr-002212](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002212) · [02:04:10 · asr-002225](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002225) · [02:05:22 · asr-002241](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002241) · [02:06:04 · asr-002251](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002251) · [02:06:35 · asr-002259](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002259)

### Tourist safety and crime data

Senator Erwin Tulfo asked Department of Tourism (DOT) Undersecretary Rodolfo Azurin Jr. what the department was doing to improve tourist security, citing reports about Israelis in Siargao and a robbery in El Nido that targeted local shops, not foreigners, and asking whether families could safely visit destinations at night. Azurin said DOT was coordinating with the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). He said roughly 500 Israelis were in Siargao and that about eight cases this year involving Israelis and other foreign visitors or locals had been solved; most concerned reckless imprudence causing property damage or physical injury.

Azurin said DOT had lacked a database of crimes against foreign tourists and had obtained PNP information covering 9,000 cases from 2022 to date. He said more than half concerned safety issues, including property damage, injury and sometimes homicide, while theft and robbery were fewer. DOT was separating safety from security cases and trying to build its own database so it could brief embassies and respond to travel advisories.

[02:50:13 · asr-003123](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003123) · [02:52:12 · asr-003157](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003157) · [02:52:24 · asr-003160](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003160) · [02:52:38 · asr-003162](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003162) · [02:53:13 · asr-003169](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003169) · [02:54:18 · asr-003183](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003183)

### Tourist scams, safety coordination and accountability

Tulfo asked how DOT would respond to reports on TripAdvisor of scams in Intramuros, including tricycle and kalesa overcharging. Azurin said many problems were not formally DOT issues but affected tourism, and proposed a National Tourism for Safety and Security Council headed by the Secretary of Tourism. He said local government cooperation was also needed because not all local government units complied with DOT requirements, including accreditation.

Azurin cited an Aurora accident involving a Nigerian and an Ateneo basketball player at a resort that was not DOT-accredited. He asked where accountability lay: with the local government that issued the business permit, the resort owner, police patrol, or Coast Guard safety advisories. He also cited a Bukidnon zip-line cable break in which an Indian national fell 40 feet. These were examples Azurin raised to explain why safety matters to tourism; the council was a proposal, not an action reported as established.

[02:54:31 · asr-003186](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003186) · [02:55:14 · asr-003201](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003201) · [02:55:48 · asr-003212](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003212) · [02:56:29 · asr-003222](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003222) · [02:57:10 · asr-003231](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003231)

### Standards and follow-up for DOT accreditation

Tulfo said permits should be issued only after a facility is checked for safety and criticized businesses displaying DOT accreditation despite poor conditions. He cited dirty restaurants, inadequate beach changing facilities, rusty water, bedbugs and run-down hotels with leaking roofs, including a hotel where he said he woke with bedbug bites. He argued that DOT regional and provincial offices should check facilities and revisit accreditation when service deteriorates, rather than approving establishments without follow-up.

Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay acknowledged the embarrassment of seeing an accredited label alongside the problems Tulfo described. She said the department had brought in Assistant Secretary Maria Christina G. Aquino to upgrade accreditation and standards, then invited Aquino to explain the department's work.

[02:57:38 · asr-003237](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003237) · [02:58:36 · asr-003254](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003254) · [03:00:40 · asr-003294](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003294)

### DOT actions on accreditation

Aquino described three actions. First, DOT strongly recommended that stakeholders use accredited tourism enterprises at both primary and secondary levels to help assure quality. Second, DOT had improved its online portal so certificate authenticity could be checked: stakeholders can scan a QR code and confirm an enterprise's accreditation on the department dashboard.

Third, DOT had increased work with local government units, tourism officers and regional offices because enterprises can obtain a mayor's permit without accreditation. The department was working to have accreditation pursued first by enterprises seeking to register with local governments.

[03:01:01 · asr-003305](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003305) · [03:01:31 · asr-003320](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003320) · [03:01:57 · asr-003333](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003333) · [03:02:10 · asr-003340](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003340)

## Senator Joseph Victor "JV" G. Ejercito

### Tourism support and motorcycle promotion

Senator Joseph Victor "JV" G. Ejercito, a former chair of the Senate Committee on Tourism, said he had consistently supported tourism, which he saw as an industry with room for further growth. In his own time, he said, he and others promoted Philippine destinations through Philippine Motorcycle Tourism in cooperation with the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), including with help from influencers and bloggers. He deferred his questions and invited the committee to proceed with the presentation.

[01:46:01 · asr-001793](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001793) · [01:46:29 · asr-001807](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-001807)

### Visitor arrivals, connectivity and market strategy

Ejercito compared 2025 arrivals of 5.95 million in the Philippines with 14.35 million in Indonesia and 17 million in Vietnam, then asked whether arrivals were improving. Angara-Mathay reported 4.11 million foreign visitors through August 2026, up 3.7% year on year, against a target range of 6.4 million to 6.8 million. She said 99% of travel to the country was by air and reported 7.78 million international seats from January through May 19, an 8.31% year-on-year increase. DOT was working with airlines and transport agencies to add routes and frequencies, especially through secondary gateways. She cited new direct routes from Hangzhou, Changsha and Chongqing; arrivals from China had risen 69.15% to about 310,000 from January through August.

She said the largest source markets from January through August were the United States, with more than 800,000 arrivals; South Korea, with more than 700,000; Japan, with 350,000; and Australia, with 234,000. DOT planned to tailor airline partnerships and tourism products by market, work with the Department of Foreign Affairs and other agencies on visa-entry facilitation, encourage visitors to stay longer and travel beyond major gateways, and use tourism to attract investment. In response, Ejercito noted airport inconvenience and said immigration e-gates would be expanded gradually to make them more usable for foreign and Filipino travelers.

[02:07:48 · asr-002279](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002279) · [02:08:47 · asr-002292](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002292) · [02:12:22 · asr-002334](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002334)

### Affordability and destination logistics

Ejercito said airport convenience, connectivity and transit remained challenges, and asked why hotels, restaurants and food could cost more than in Thailand and Vietnam. He referred to a viral Bohol food-price controversy and said Bohol arrivals had been affected. Angara-Mathay said activity among Michelin-recognized restaurants had increased in volume and value, but agreed that food and services could cost more than in other Asian countries. She attributed food costs in part to logistics and called for better cold-chain facilities and roads to move produce in real time, identifying work with the transportation and agriculture departments as a possible response.

[02:14:35 · asr-002371](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002371) · [02:13:23 · asr-002352](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002352)

### Tourism investment indicators

Angara-Mathay said the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) had registered 14.5 billion (currency unstated) in tourism investments across 34 projects under CREATE since 2021. She also cited a hotel-sector pipeline of approximately 387 billion (currency unstated) in investments for 45,884 new rooms across 213 projects. These are registered or pipeline private-sector investment figures, not DOT or TIEZA appropriations.

[02:10:58 · asr-002318](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002318) · [02:11:17 · asr-002321](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-002321)

## DOT plenary preparation and submission

### Plenary preparation and budget submission

Tulfo said the committee would forward its questions to the Department of Tourism (DOT) and its attached agencies and asked them to provide timely answers so he could prepare to defend their proposed budgets in plenary, which he expected to take place in October or November. He said minority members would also ask questions and warned that unanswered questions could make it harder to persuade the bicameral conference committee to increase the agencies' budgets.

With no further questions, Tulfo deemed the FY2027 proposed budgets of DOT, its attached agencies and corporations submitted for plenary consideration. This was a procedural submission for consideration, not approval or enactment of appropriations.

[03:02:20 · asr-003345](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003345) · [03:02:34 · asr-003352](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003352) · [03:02:52 · asr-003361](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003361) · [03:03:50 · asr-003389](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/88/#asr-003389)