‘I’m leaving on a jet plane at the taxpayers’ expense’

By Alex P. Vidal

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” — Thomas Jefferson

TO prevent scandal and suspicion, government officials traveling abroad on official business should avoid posting photos and videos of tourist attractions on social media.

Many people have dirty minds. And they are cruel in their criticism.

Critics may perceive that these officials spent the majority of their time visiting upscale and elegant foreign attractions, regardless of whether they accomplished their primary objectives.

I know of one government official who had never traveled abroad in his life and quickly became a “junketer” once appointed to office.

A “junketer” is a person who regularly or habitually goes on a junket — a pleasure trip or excursion taken under the guise of official business, work, or study, typically funded by someone else, such as a government body, corporation, or organization.

Why wouldn’t he, seeing that he didn’t spend a penny of his own money on any of his foreign travels? In fact, some junketers even profited from reimbursements for “expenses” they allegedly “incurred” during those trips.

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In his heyday, this appointed government official’s social media accounts regularly featured his foreign trips, which were, of course, mostly junkets.

Every now and then, he was abroad “attending international technical conferences, participating in specialized training, or sharing expertise with foreign civil services,” among other reasons and purposes.

Other justifications given by junketers: They were “negotiating trade agreements, attracting foreign investment, opening export markets, and representing commercial interests through agencies like the Department of Commerce.”

Also, they were “conducting bilateral or multilateral negotiations, representing the country at international summits, and meeting with foreign counterparts to build alliances or resolve conflicts.”

Overseas travel is supposed to be strictly regulated by guidelines from the Office of the President and agency rules.

Because there is no fixed numerical limit on the total number of foreign trips Philippine government officials may take, many appointed and elected government officials continue to go on junkets.

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A junket is a trip taken for pleasure or entertainment — often at the expense of an employer, a government, or a sponsor — though the word also historically refers to a simple milk dessert.

It is considered an excursion or trip taken by a politician, official, or employee that is paid for using public funds or outside money. This usage often carries a negative or disapproving tone, implying that the trip is unnecessary or a disguised vacation.

Even the Sandiganbayan, which is supposed to be a role model in frugality, was recently called out for failing to properly document expenses related to overseas trips by its justices and personnel, as well as events organized at four- and five-star venues across the country.

The Commission on Audit (COA) reported in its 2025 annual audit report on the anti-graft court, published on its website, that the “granting and liquidation of CAs (cash advances) for official foreign travels of Sandiganbayan officials and employees for CY (calendar year) 2025, totaling P11,869,847.98, were not fully supported with complete documentary requirements.”

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The amount was reportedly disbursed for seven foreign trips — mostly conferences and training — to the U.S. state of Missouri; Victoria, Australia; Budapest, Hungary; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Doha, Qatar; and Singapore from September to December 2025, according to the COA report.

It reportedly noted that the costliest trips were those to Hungary at over PHP 2.5 million, Dubai at over PHP 1.88 million and Singapore at over PHP 1.82 million.

The COA reported: “Review of the above-listed CAs revealed that the documentary requirements for granting the said CAs such as: (a) letters of invitation; (b) plane fare quotations and (c) flight itineraries were not submitted.”

Over PHP 7.1 million of the total amount of more than PHP 11.8 million lacked supporting narrative reports.

(The author is based in New York City and used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines. — Ed.)