Palace: No talks on replacing Frasco

There are no talks on replacing Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco amid criticisms against her, as she was accused of using government-funded tourism programs for alleged "self-promotion."

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro was asked if indeed Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Patrick 'Pato' Gregorio would replace Frasco as head of the Department of Tourism.

''As of now, wala pong pinag-uusapan na ganyan,'' Castro told Palace reporters.

(As of now, there's no discussion about that.) 

Last week, Castro said there would no longer be a revamp within the Cabinet of the Marcos administration.

Frasco also said before that she is thankful to President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. for his continued trust in her and for supporting the tourism industry. 

On Tuesday during a Senate Committee on Tourism hearing, Senator Raffy Tulfo presented slides of magazines and promotional materials prominently featuring Frasco.

Tulfo said these tourism campaigns should focus on destinations rather than government officials.

Frasco, in response, dismissed the allegation, saying her public visibility was a natural result of her work as head of the DOT and not driven by political motives.

Following this, Frasco directed the removal of all DOT materials bearing her image and directed regional offices to stop producing similar content. —VAL, GMA Integrated News