Duterte happy with Puyat at DOT —Palace exec

President Rodrigo Duterte is satisfied with the performance of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat even as his son expressed concern over alleged complaints regarding her management style, a Malacañang official on Friday said.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles pointed to Puyat’s track record and Duterte’s praises on the Tourism chief during Cabinet meetings.

“All praises, very warm. He is happy with the work of Sec. Berna so far,” Nograles told reporters.

Nograles said the country’s tourism numbers improved under Puyat’s watch. The Department of Tourism (DOT) reported early this month that the Philippines received 4.85 million international tourists from January to July, up by 12.36% from the same period last year.

“Maganda naman ‘yung industry. Wala naman reklamo kay Sec. Berna, mabilis naman umaksyon. Masipag naman. Maganda naman ang projects ng DOT right now under her watch,” he said.

Davao City Representative Paolo 'Pulong' Duterte, the president’s eldest son, on Thursday took the floor of the House of Representatives to reveal that he had received several complaints on the management style of Puyat in relation to the approval of contracts and projects in the DOT.

Paolo Duterte did not provide details but he said it would be remiss of his duty as a lawmaker if he did not listen to the complaints and grievances against the DOT.

Puyat took the helm of the DOT in May last year after its former chief Wanda Teo resigned over conflict of interest allegations in connection with the controversial P60-million ad placement on her brother’s program on state-run PTV. —JST, GMA News