Teo lawyer urged to ‘name names’ in controversial DOT ad deal

Malacañang urged the lawyer of former Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo to name the official who benefited from the P60-million deal between the Department of Tourism (DOT) and a company owned by Teo’s brother, Ben Tulfo.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said it was unfair to drag the entire Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) in the mess due to the insinuation of lawyer Ferdinand Topacio.
“I hope he names this official, files a complaint and includes it in an affidavit,” Roque said in a press briefing.

Roque made the remarks in reaction to Topacio’s claim that someone from the PCOO received a cut from the P60-million deal between the DOT and Tulfo.

Duty

Topacio said Tulfo could not immediately return the P60 million to the DOT since part of the money went to the PCOO.

Roque said that being a lawyer, it was Topacio’s duty to “reveal who received a cut in the P60-million deal as an officer of the court.”

He added that officials who did not heed Commission on Audit (COA) orders — like notices of disallowance, which meant returning money paid for a project — faced cases and sanctions.

“It’s up to them if they don’t heed the COA’s recommendation to return the funds,” Roque said.

“If they don’t, then it will already be referred to the Ombudsman for proper action,” he said.

Roque added: “If they don’t heed the recommendation that the particular expenditure is disallowed and they must return money, then the COA report will now be used to prove an element of graft.”