Manila: Amid charges of impropriety over the government’s tourism ad budget, Philippine Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo quit her post on Tuesday following a storm over the ₱60 million advertising deal granted by her department to a TV programme of her brothers, Ben and Erwin Tulfo, according to local media reports.
In a statement, lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, legal counsel of Teo, said his client handed in the resignation to Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on Monday.
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"Her decision to leave her position was made after a long and deliberate reflection and soul-searching with respect to the events that have transpired the past few weeks," he said.
Topacio earlier, however, told CNN that President Rodrigo Duterte neither fired Teo nor asked her to resign.
Other Philippine media houses like the GMA News reported that Duterte had “fired” Teo at the end of Monday's Cabinet meeting at Malacañang.
The president reportedly told Teo to hand in her resignation.
The president’s spokesperson said Duterte had a “private conversation” with Teo after the meeting.
Travel agency
Teo, once a flight attendant, owned a travel agency before being appointed to the Department of Tourism. Her brothers are ardent supporters of Duterte.
She was under fire for several travels abroad during which she allegedly brought a makeup artist, including those reportedly in Sydney and Russia.
Teo denied the allegations, but the report exposed a rift in the Department of Tourism weeks after she undertook a major reshuffle of officials.
Lawyer’s take
Teo's lawyer said Bitag Media Unlimited Inc. — the production house headed by Ben Tulfo — already decided to return the Php60-million ($1.17 million, Dh4.26 million) advertising budget to the government in an effort to end the controversy on Monday.
"Teo reiterates that she has done no wrongdoing, and that all the dealings of the DOT went through all legal processes, were above-board and done in good faith, and with total absence of malice," her counsel Topacio told CNN.
Teo is the fifth official to leave the Duterte cabinet, following the resignation of former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre last month.
Topacio earlier said the former tourism secretary would only resign to protect her image and that of the president, who has repeatedly said he will eliminate even the smallest whiff of corruption in government.
"She thinks if she should resign, it would not be because she believes she did something wrong but it would be to spare her family and the president," he said.
Teo had denied conflict of interest in the ad deal, saying the DOT also placed television commercials and TV features in other local and international media networks.
The Tulfo program, "Kilos Pronto," is a blocktimer so the show is supposed to pay the network, the government-owned PTV-4, for the air time.
