Frasco: Remove my face from tourism materials
Secretary Christina Frasco of the Department of Tourism (DOT) has ordered the removal of her image from the agency’s promotional materials, a day after being questioned about them in a Senate hearing.
Frasco announced the takedown on Wednesday but maintained that the accusations that she had been engaging in self-promotion were misplaced.
According to Frasco, some of the materials that had drawn flak for prominently showing her photo were made by local government units (LGUs) who had her as their guest.
Such criticism that she was just out for political mileage also “falls flat,” she said, since she’s not running for any public office. Before her appointment to the Marcos Cabinet, Frasco, a member of the Garcia political family of Cebu and daughter of the incumbent provincial governor, served three terms as a municipal mayor.
Order to regional offices
The next elections in the country are still more than two years away.
“I have actually already issued an order to our regional offices, as far as we are concerned in the DOT, to, number one, take down any material that may bear my image. Number two, to not produce any material that may bear my image,” she said in a media forum.
Frasco’s directive came a day after she faced a hearing of the Senate tourism committee, where Sen. Raffy Tulfo called her out over the widespread use of her photos in DOT materials.
She has been under fire on social media for months over such publicity that tends to put her front and center, with the scenic location just serving as her backdrop.
In the media forum, Frasco said some of those materials were actually done by local governments during her visits, not by the DOT.
“There are so many things that we need to consider that are of national importance. If I can appeal to the LGUs, please don’t put up any tarps that bear my image … I will not be lesser for it because I am not running anyway,” she said.
Two profiles
Frasco explained that the DOT’s communication thrust had two distinct profiles: corporate and marketing.
Corporate refers to the department’s activities, programs, and projects, including those involving Frasco as head, which are no different from those of other government agencies, she said.
Marketing, on the other hand, covers the promotion of tourist destinations and products.
“I don’t know why these platforms are being muddled together, but there has always been a distinction between [them],” Frasco said.
“The accusation is that I’m very visible because I wish to promote myself,” she stressed. “But could there perhaps be room for the argument that I’m very visible because I’m simply working and nothing else?”
“The accusation of self-promotions falls flat in the face of the fact that … I’m not running for any position,” she added.
Tourism numbers
In the same forum, Frasco highlighted the DOT’s efforts to strengthen regional cooperation through the Asean Tourism Forum, citing a report where the Philippines led its regional neighbors in tourism growth.
“According to the World Travel and Tourism Council in their latest economic impact report, studying Asean countries vis-à-vis their tourism portfolios, they have identified the Philippines as being the biggest tourism economy in the Asean, taking into consideration the GDP contribution of the Philippines in the context of its neighbors, as well as the employment that tourism is able to generate,” Frasco said.
She also underscored a report from the Philippine Statistics Authority showing that the tourism industry contributed P3.86 billion to the national coffers and provided employment or livelihood to 16.4 million Filipinos, accounting for around 34 percent of the national employment.
The DOT has also intensified efforts to enter into public-private sector partnerships to promote Philippine tourism. —WITH A REPORT FROM ISABELLE PECHAY
