(Eagle News) — Senator Leila de Lima urged the government to file charges against former Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, former Tourism Promotions Board chief Cesar Montano and some of their officials over “the apparent gross misuse of government funds” in the Department of Tourism.
De Lima issued the statement after both Teo and Montano resigned over separate controversies.
Teo stepped down after the Commission on Audit red-flagged the DOT’s placement of P60 million worth of tourism advertisements in “Kilos Pronto,” the program produced by her brother Ben Tulfo, and co-hosted by her other Erwin Tulfo.
Montano, on the other hand, resigned over the Buhay Carinderia controversy.
Teo’s successor, Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, noted P80 million were paid to advertisement agency MaryLindbert International even if the project had not been completed.
“The accountability of former Secretary Teo as well as her undersecretaries and assistant secretaries, for the apparent gross misuse of government funds, must not be terminated by the simple fact of their resignation,” De Lima said.
She also urged the Senate to “pursue the COA findings, as well as the findings of Sec. Romulo-Puyat, in order to shed light not just on the liability of the public officials.”
“There also appears to be a need to strengthen government safeguards against conflicts of interest, to ensure the protection of the Filipino public against the personal and vested interests of unscrupulous persons,” she added.