DOT welcomes appointment of Sara Duterte spox Christina Frasco

Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat. Photo courtesy of DOT

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Monday welcomed the appointment of Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio’s spokesperson and outgoing Liloan Cebu Mayor Christina Frasco as its new secretary.

“I will bow out of the department secure in the knowledge that the industry is back on its feet: borders have reopened and the livelihood of those dependent on tourism have gradually been restored,” said outgoing DOT Sec. Bernadette Romulo-Puyat in a statement.

“The new tourism chief can bank on the remarkable gains of the Duterte administration that has piloted sustainable and regenerative tourism practices, not only on Boracay Island, but also in many tourist destinations across the country,” she added.

Romulo-Puyat also assured that the transition team of the DOT is ready to brief the new tourism secretary for “a smooth turnover.”

“Among those that we will be turning over is the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2022 to 2028,” explained Romulo-Puyat.

“We will also be turning over the reformulated Tourism Response and Recovery Plan (TRRP), which served as the department’s road map to the tourism sector’s full recovery from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she added.

She then assured that the DOT had been operating in “utmost accountability and transparency,” citing the receival of an “unqualified opinion” from the Commission on Audit (COA), the highest rating that indicates that all of our  financial statements are reported fairly and correctly, for two straight years

This came after President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s camp announced on Monday that Frasco will succeed Romulo-Puyat once Marcos Jr. assumes presidency on June 30.

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