Santiago City – The RDC2 during its 106th Regular Business Meeting held on 26 March 2015 at Santiago City approved and endorsed the proposed increase in the daily travelling allowance of government personnel from P800 to P1,500. The increase was proposed to meet the increasing cost of travel expenses government personnel incur during official travel. This was made possible though the initiative of the RDC2 – Committee on Development Administration and Communication (CODAC), headed by its Chair and Cauayan City Mayor Bernard Faustino M. Dy.

Under PD 1177, any government personnel on official travel outside his or her permanent station is entitled to receive a daily travel allowance of P800.00 as authorized by law. Under said decree, the President is also given the authority to determine and adjust the rates from time to time if necessary, upon the recommendation of the Travel Rates Committee composed of DBM, DFA and COA.

The travel allowance during official local and foreign travels of P800.00 per day was observed since the implementation of Executive Order 298, s. of March 2004. Since then, no adjustments were made on the travel allowance of government personnel, despite the continuing increase on the cost of goods and services.

The proposal was based on the COA Resolution No. 2013-030, which increased the rate of travel allowance of COA employees from P800 to P1,500 for local travels that took effect January 2014 and the Constitutional Fiscal Autonomy Group Joint Resolution No. 98.

A similar study was proposed by Region VI where it proposed P1,500 for local travels within the region and P3,500 for travels outside the region. However, the CODAC found this proposal to be too high and the expense would need significant budgetary requirement that will cause strain to the government.

In consideration of the current economy hotel rates, the CODAC then proposed the increase of government personnel daily travel allowance from 800 to 1,500 for local travels, both within and outside region 2 which the RDC2 eventually approved.