(Eagle News) — Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo said on Monday, April 30, that the P60-million payment by People’s Television Network Inc. to Bitag Media Unlimited Inc. for the airing of Department of Tourism advertisements on her brother Ben Tulfo’s program was covered by a “government-to-government contract.”
Teo said that she never signed any such contract, which “went through a bidding” and was “reviewed by” the DOT’s legal department.
“All checks were made payable to PTV4,” Teo said, adding that the DOT aired commercials in other channels, both local and overseas, last year.
“Ad placement is a normal transaction between the DOT and a television network although preferential treatment was accorded to PTV-4 in line with the President’s directive for government agencies to support the government television network,” Teo added.
Ben Tulfo is the chief executive officer of BMUI, which runs Kilos Pronto.
Apart from Ben Tulfo, other hosts of the program are Erwin Tulfo and Alex Santos.
The Commission on Audit earlier red-flagged the transaction, saying it was not supported by the required documents.