Bitag Media to return P60M pay for DOT ad placements – lawyer

After facing scrutiny because of alleged nepotism, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Wanda Teo’s legal counsel has announced that Bitag Media Unlimited Inc.  will return the P60 million that was paid to the media outfit for the ad placements of the tourism agency.

Atty. Ferdinand Topacio said that Ben Tulfo, of Bitag Media, has promised to return the money.

Teo is the biological sister of Tulfo. DOT advertisements were placed on Bitag Media programs buying airtime from PTV 4.

“Nakausap ko si Mr. Ben Tulfo, kanina lamang po, sinabi niya na napagpasyahan po nila (magkakapatid) na bagamat wala po sa kanya ‘yong P60 million dahil nagastos na po, gagawa po sila ng paraan at i-o-offer na nila na ibalik na po up to the last centavo kung ano man ang naibayad sa kanila ng PTV4,” Topacio said in an interview with DZMM on Monday.

Topacio also said the Tulfo brothers maintain there were no irregularities and malice on the processes involving the ad placement.

“As a gesture of good faith and goodwill, and to show na wala po silang malisya dito sa ad placement, ay ibabalik napo nila ‘yong pera ASAP,” Topacio added. “They will ask COA kung ano pong mechanism para ito’y maibalik.”

Topacio also said that Teo does not see any problem with the investigation and insisted that the COA probe was aimed at PTV-4, not at DOT and Bitag Media.  He also claimed that COA did not question the budget but was looking for missing documents. /kga