Teo’s lawyer Topacio insists Ben Tulfo told him he would return P60M ad payment

The lawyer of former Tourism chief Wanda Teo on Sunday insisted that Teo's brother Ben Tulfo told him that he would return the P60 million in payments his company received from a controversial advertisement deal with the Department of Tourism.

In a Super Radyo dzBB phone interview, Ferdinand Topacio said that he has no idea why Tulfo supposedly retracted his previous statement.

"May 3 po siya nag-text na tatawag siya sa akin. Nababanaag ko sa kanyang tinig na parang he was in pain dahil doon sa nangyaring P60 million na 'yun na tinanggap ng Bitag [Media Unlimited] ay napahamak ang kanyang kapatid na si Secretary Wanda at sabi nga niya ibabalik niya 'yung pera," Topacio said.

"Ang sabi lang niya sa akin na hindi agad-agad sapagkat iyan ay hindi naman as if dumating 'yung P60 million, itinabi ko sa isang lugar at maaari kong ibalik immediately. Sabi niya may napaggastusan na raw 'yan, production etc.," he added.

"Kung hindi totoo na sinabi niya sa akin na ibabalik niya eh bakit ngayon lang po niya itinanggi? Agosto na po ngayon eh. Eh May 7 ko in-announce na magbabalik siya. Wala siyang sinabi May 8, May 9... kung sana di po totoo 'yun, nag-react agad siya. Ang nag-react eh si Mon Tulfo na wala doon sa usapan," Topacio said.

Topacio said that he had kept the record of his phone conversation with Teo's brother.

"Siya po ang nagsabi noon eh, may phone records nga po ako dito eh kung kailan siya tumawag, alam kong siya 'yun. Binigyan po ako ng heads up ni Secretary Wanda na tatawag si Mr. Ben Tulfo," Topacio said.

Tulfo last week announced that his media outfit, Bitag Media Unlimited Inc. (BMUI), would not return the P60 million it received from the state-run People's Television (PTV-4) for the airing of Tourism department's advertisements on one of its programs.

"Sa mga nagsasabing isauli ang pera at hinihintay daw ang P60 M, mamuti na mga mata niyo! Wala kaming isasauli! Sa mga nagsasabing ilegal at nangulimbat kami, eh di sampahan niyo kami ng kaso, tutal nandiyan naman ang COA [Commission on Audit] at Ombudsman!" Tulfo said in a Facebook post dated July 26.

On May 7, it was Topacio who made the announcement that the media firm would return the multi-million payment.

Topavio said that Teo instructed him to disclose this to the public.

"Ang akin po I made the announcement as per instruction of my client, Ms. Wanda Teo and not Mr. Ben Tulfo. Sabi ko nga po nung tinanong ako kung bakit nag-backtrack, hindi ko alam ang dahilan," Topacio said.

"Ang sabi ko lang, whether Ben Tulfo returns the money, that is a matter between him and his conscience with due regard to the legal consequences of his failure to return the money," he added.

Tulfo has insisted that there was no irregularity in the deal and that he has the documents to prove that the agreement was legal. — Anna Felicia Bajo/BM, GMA News