DOT hopes next admin will continue Philippine recovery ‘momentum’

The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Monday welcomed the appointment of Liloan, Cebu Mayor Christina Frasco as its next chief under the incoming administration of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

“The Department of Tourism welcomes the impending appointment of Mayor Christina G. Frasco as its new Secretary with high hopes that the momentum that we have generated the past few months toward the revival, recovery, and resiliency of the tourism industry will be carried over to the new administration,” the DOT said in a press statement.

Incoming Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles earlier announced Frasco was chosen by Marcos to head the Tourism Department.

The DOT, for its part, said it was ready to welcome the new Secretary and her team for a “smooth” turnover.

Among the programs the current leadership would pass on to the next administration was the National Tourism Development Plan 2022 to 2028, and the reformulated Tourism Response and Recovery Plan which served as the department’s road map for the tourism sector’s recovery amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“I will bow out of the department secure in the knowledge that the industry is back on its feet: borders have reopened and the livelihood of those dependent on tourism have gradually been restored,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.

“The new tourism chief can bank on the remarkable gains of the Duterte Administration that have piloted sustainable and regenerative tourism practices, not only on Boracay Island, but also in many tourist destinations across the country,” she added.

The outgoing tourism chief assured the next administration that the DOT had been operating with the “utmost accountability and transparency” with the department receiving an "unqualified opinion" — the highest audit rating — from the Commission on Audit (COA) for two years straight.

The DOT also maintained its ISO 9001:2015 certification for four years in a row and successfully expanded its Quality Management System coverage to three additional regional offices — the DOT-Cordillera Administrative Region, Region 4A (CALABARZON), and Region 10 (Northern Mindanao). — DVM, GMA News