WANDA Tulfo-Teo resigned as secretary of the Department of Tourism (DOT) after the Commission on Audit (COA) had found irregularities under her leadership.
COA questioned the P60 million paid by DOT for advertisement placements on “Kilos Pronto” which was hosted by Teo’s brothers, Ben and Erwin Tulfo even if there is no proper documentation on the deal. Bitag Media Unlimited Incorporated (BMUI), which runs the show, is owned by Ben.
Due to lack of documents, COA could not establish the legality of the payments made to BMUI.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. confirmed that President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted Teo's resignation.
Roque stressed that Teo's resignation was not a sign of guilt, adding that the official did what she thought was the best course of action.
Following the COA report in 2017, Teo was accused of conflict of interest.
Roque said the Office of the Ombudsman is investigating to determine if there is criminal liability on Teo.
The Tulfo brothers, for their part, had already signified their interest in returning the P60 million.
Teo’s resignation or the Tulfo brothers’ intent to return the money would not absolve anything. They should still be held accountable.
They should still be investigated because they are not yet exonerated from anything as state auditors, based on the report, found irregularities on the deal.