Harapin ang katotohanan, apela kay DOT Secretary Frasco ng mambabatas 

APELA ni TINGOG Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre kay Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco na sagutin ang lehitimong tanong ukol sa performance ng ahensiya at hindi ang pag-uugnay nito sa pulitika.

“I had hoped that Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco would respond to public concerns with facts and clarity. Instead, she chose to frame legitimate questions about her agency’s performance as a political attack. That kind of deflection does a disservice to the real issue at hand,” ani Acidre, chairman ng House Committee on Higher and Technical Education.

Ayon pa sa mambabatas, hindi ito isyu ng political loyalty kundi pagsisiguro na nagagamit ng epektibo at responsable ang public funds.

“Let’s be clear: this is not about personalities, loyalties, or partisanship. It’s about public service. It’s about performance and accountability. It’s about how government agencies use public funds and deliver on their mandate. These are questions that all of us in public office must be willing to answer,” giit ni Acidre.

Pinaalalahanan pa nito ang DOT na walang ahensiya ng gobyerno ang ligtas sa panunuri ng publiko.

Isa aniyang responsibilidad ang pagbusisi at panunuri sa mga ahensiya ng gobyerno.

Batay sa pinakahuling findings ng Commission on Audit (COA), sinabi ni Acidre ang mga isyu sa loob ng DOT at ng Tourism Promotions Board.

Kabilang na dito ang paglalaan lamang ng 65.32% ng allocated funds, kung saan hindi nabayaran ang ₱396.346 million na obligated funds ng katapusan ng taon ng 2022.

“Even more concerning, COA reported ₱483.812 million in unliquidated fund transfers. These are completed programs with no clear documentation or reports. That’s public money spent without the necessary accountability. That’s a problem,” pahayag ng mambabatas.

Ang iba pang findings na nabanggit ng coa ay ang ₱618.743 milyong receivables na may mga discrepancies at unconfirmed balances, ₱483.812 million na fund transfers ng walang liquidation, ₱71.064 million na idle and unused funds, ₱3.25 million na inventory na hindi nai-record ng maayos, ₱196.853 million na unused funds na hindi naibalik sa Treasury, ₱288.891 million na idle corporate funds na walang malinaw na paggagamitan, at ₱4.882 million na foreign travel na sinasabing unnecessary o excessive.

“These findings are not political statements. They are official audit results—concrete, procedural, and based on documentation,” dagdag ni Acidred.

Tinuligsa pa ng mambabatas ang pahayag ni Secretary Frasco na nauwi ang ₱200 million tourism promotion budget sa to ₱3.86 trillion in visitor receipts.

Nilinaw naman ni Acidre na misleading ito dahil ayon sa Philippine Statistics Authority, ang talaan ay nagre-represent sa output ng buong tourism industry, mula sa airlines at hotels sa LGUs at OFW visits. Hindi aniya ito direktang balik sa ginastos ng DOT at hindi rin dapat na ihayag ng ganito. (Vina de Guzman)