Marcos names Dita Mathay as new Tourism chief

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has appointed Dita Angara-Mathay as secretary of the Department of Tourism

This brings in a seasoned public servant with decades of experience in trade, investment, and international economic engagement. 

Angara-Mathay replaced Christina Frasco, who was appointed as Presidential Adviser for Sustainable and Resilient Communities that is tasked with strengthening and ensuring the sustained implementation of priority national initiatives at the community level.

Before this appointment, Angara-Mathay served as Commercial Counselor at the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Tokyo, where she led strategic partnerships with Japanese industries, which is one of the Philippines’ key sources of investment, technology, and tourism.

Her appointment reflects the administration’s push to position tourism not only as a cultural showcase, but as a strong driver of jobs, businesses, and even regional development.

She has led programs that link global partnerships to concrete outcomes on the ground, supporting enterprise development, strengthening industries, and expanding opportunities for Filipino businesses, especially MSMEs. — AOL/RSJ, GMA News