Tourism exec says they are not privy to Bitag’s decision to return P60M

A Department of Tourism (DOT) official on Monday said they are not involved with the decision of Bitag Media Unlimited Inc. (BMU) to return the P60-million payments it received to air DOT advertisements on People's Television Network (PTV).

In an interview, Tourism Assistant Secretary Ricky Alegre said the department was “not part of whatever Mister Ben Tulfo and Channel 4 decided.”

Ben Tulfo, brother of Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, owns BMU

On Monday, Teo's counsel, Ferdinand Topacio, said BMU will return the P60-million payments it received to air DOT advertisements on PTV after it earned controversy following a Commission on Audit (COA) report.

When asked how the DOT plans to use the money, Alegre said the funds will not be returned to the DOT.

“It will be up to Channel 4. Remember, this is an agreement between the DOT and Channel 4 so the funds go back to Channel 4,” he said.

At the same time, Alegre said the DOT is behind Teo, adding they believe their embattled leader “has answered it (controversy) in several occasions.”

Alegre added that Teo has “said that she submits herself to the Office of the President who’s conducting an investigation and she will fully cooperate.”

Teo is also being criticized for her husband’s continued stay on the board of Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).

Alegre clarified that Roberto Teo has resigned from the post “as early as August 2016.” “If he is there, it’s because they have not found a replacement for him,” he said.  —KBK, GMA News