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Teo denies she was fired

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MANILA, 11 May 2018: Philippine Tourism Secretary, Wanda Tulfo-Teo, quit her post on Tuesday following a backlash over a PHP 60 million advertising deal granted by her department to a TV programme of her brothers, Ben and Erwin Tulfo, local media reported in Manila.

Teo’s legal counsel said Teo handed in her resignation to Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on Monday.

“Her decision to leave her position was made after a long and deliberate reflection with respect to the events that have transpired the past few weeks,” he told local newspapers.

Wanda Corazon Teo

However, in an interview with CNN he clarified saying President Rodrigo Duterte had neither fired Teo nor asked her to resign.

Other Philippine media houses like GMA News reported that Duterte had “fired” Teo at the end of Monday’s Cabinet meeting at Malacañang.

The president’s spokesperson said Duterte had a “private conversation” with Teo after the meeting.

There were accusations of misdemeanour over the government’s tourism advertising budget.

A former travel agent and flight attendant, Teo relinquished her role at her travel agency when she was appointed to the Department of Tourism.

Earlier, she was under fire for several travel jaunts abroad during which she allegedly took along a makeup artist.

Teo denies all allegations, but the reports in local media exposed a massive rift in the Department of Tourism.

Teo’s lawyer said Bitag Media Unlimited Inc, the production house headed by Ben Tulfo, had already decided to return the PHP 60 million (USD 1.17 million) advertising budget to the government in an effort to end the controversy.

“Teo reiterates that she has done no wrongdoing and that all the dealings of the DOT went through all legal processes, were above-board and done in good faith, and with total absence of malice,” her counsel told CNN.

Teo is the fifth official to leave the Duterte cabinet, following the resignation of former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre last month.

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