Change in the DOT

The Office of the Ombudsman has stepped into the investigation of the P60-million advertising contract from the Department of Tourism that was placed by government station

PTV 4 with a media company owned by two of the brothers of the newly resigned DOT secretary. Malacañang is conducting its own probe for possible administrative sanctions.

Several lawmakers and legal professionals have pointed out that returning the P60 million, as reportedly promised by the brothers of Wanda Teo, will not exculpate those involved from criminal liability. The amount is P10 million higher than the P50 million threshold for an indictment for plunder, an offense that normally does not allow bail. Teo’s husband is also under fire for receiving double compensation for holding two posts in government, one of them in an agency under his wife’s department.

With President Duterte dropping Teo as tourism chief, Malacañang has made it clear that its probe into the advertising deal will continue, although any criminal indictment would be up to the ombudsman. The Commission on Audit has already looked into the deal and has the documents necessary for any probe.

The departure of Teo should lead to a wider reorganization in the DOT, which oversees an industry that should be among the major engines of economic growth. Teo and her staff along with Tourism Promotions Board chief operating officer Cesar Montano also previously came under fire for overseas travels, undermining the President’s ouster of several officials for what he said were too many foreign trips.

Several countries depend heavily on tourism for job creation, poverty alleviation and economic growth. President Duterte must find a new tourism chief who can focus on those challenging tasks. At the same time, authorities must see to it that any abuse of public office will be deterred by the certainty of punishment.