Locsin says passport revolving fund gone; Palace to talk to DBM

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. has revealed that the country's passport revolving fund has been depleted.

In a Twitter post on Wednesday night, Locsin said he would try to look for money to replenish the fund since the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) already owed P388 million to passport printing contractor APO Production Unit, Inc, a state-run firm.

@DFAPHL Our entire passport revolving fund is gone; and we are in arrears to APO P388M for printing passport booklets; apparently the fund was eaten up by travel allowances(huh?), insurance, miscellany(what?). So bear with us until I find money to replenish the fund.

— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) January 20, 2021

Sought for comment, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the Palace trusts Locsin “can find the funds.”

“I will bring this matter up also to [Budget] Secretary [Wendel] Avisado,” Roque said at a press briefing.

Locsin learned that the fund was apparently "eaten up by travel allowances, insurance and miscellany.”

On Thursday, Locsin said the DFA would ditch foreign trips to save money. He also said he would ask Avisado to help him realign funds.

@DFAPHL Thanks Harry but no need. I am cutting off foreign travels. There’s tons of money there. No more conference trips. There’s Zoom. Will get Avisado to help me realign. I stopped bldg renovation and capital expenses. Government needs every peso for vaccination.@dododulay https://t.co/x7MlzTLFxc

— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) January 21, 2021

The passport revolving fund comes from the fees collected for the processing and issuance of passports requiring special consideration, waiver, or issuance beyond regular office hours.

According to the Philippine Passport Act of 1996 (Republic Act 8239), the fund may be utilized by the DFA for the improvement of its passporting and consular services except for the payment of travel and transportation allowances.—AOL, GMA News