Palace: No talks yet on replacing Christina Frasco as DOT chief

MANILA, Philippines — There have been no discussions so far regarding the replacement of Christina Frasco as secretary of the Department of Tourism (DOT) amid issues hounding the agency and its leader, Palace press officer Claire Castro said on Thursday.

This came after an online report claimed that Philippine Sports Commission Chair Patrick Gregorio was poised to replace Frasco.

READ: Christina Frasco: No consent, gov’t funding for magazine cover

“As of now, there is no discussion about that yet,” Castro said in a Viber message to reporters.

This was not the first time rumors about Frasco’s exit from the DOT have surfaced. 

Earlier this year, Castro also denied speculation that former Philippine Airlines president Stanley Ng was eyed to become the next tourism secretary.

Speculation about Frasco’s possible replacement circulated following allegations that the DOT commissioned the publication Philippine Topics to feature her on its cover and publish a story about her.

Lawmakers and netizens also criticized Frasco for alleged “self-promotion” in tourism materials.

During a public hearing conducted by the Senate committee on tourism on Tuesday, Frasco said the magazine’s publication was done without her consent and was not funded by government money.

READ: Will Tourism Sec. Frasco be replaced by PAL’s president? Palace says ‘no’

She also ordered all DOT regional offices to remove tourism-related materials featuring her image.

Frasco was the former mayor of Liloan, Cebu and spokesperson for Vice President Sara Duterte.

She is the daughter of then-Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who backed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s presidential bid together with her One Cebu party. /das