Senator Raffy Tulfo raised concerns over Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco’s frequent appearance in tourism promotion materials, citing complaints he said were sent by netizens who felt the focus should be on destinations—not personalities.
During the Senate Committee on Tourism hearing on Tuesday, February 3, Tulfo said the public perceived the materials as self-promotional, prompting criticism that eventually reached his action center.
“What I’m saying is…’yong presence mo doon, ‘yong sa picture na ‘yan, it doesn’t fit in sa taste ng mga Pilipino na nakakakita po niyan. Kaya nga po bina-bash po kayo [at] hanggang sa pumunta po sila sa action center ko para magreklamo…,” Tulfo said.
He added that the public’s impression was that the promotions highlighted Frasco instead of the country and its provinces.
“Kasi ang nangyari ma’am e ang dating daw sa kanila, parang pino-promote mo ‘yong sarili mo versus dapat ‘yong Pilipinas ang pino-promote mo…o ‘yong mga probinsya ang pino-promote mo versus you’re promoting yourself. ‘Yon po ‘yong dating sa mga tao…Maybe we have to refrain from doing that. We can use models siguro,” he said.
Frasco responded by saying she understood the concern and appreciated that it was raised, but stressed that her presence in destinations was part of her duty and not for personal promotion.
She also denied having political ambitions for 2028.
“I completely hear you, Senator [Raffy], and I am grateful that you have brought these matters to light. But since I have the floor, I would just like to reiterate my position that I have tried to be as present as possible in our destinations and for our stakeholders. That is the extent of the duty that I have exercised and nothing more,” Frasco said.
She added:
“I have no national ambition. I am not running for any national position. And therefore, any accusation of self-promotion would fall flat because I’m not running for any national position in 2028, and therefore, there would be no reason for me to promote myself.”
Tulfo clarified that he never claimed Frasco was planning to run for office, but stressed that public perception mattered.
He also compared Philippine tourism campaigns to those of Vietnam, Korea, Malaysia, and Japan, noting that tourism officials’ faces rarely appear in their materials.
“What we’re saying here ma’am, please, ‘wag mong i-promote ang sarili mo. ‘Pag pumunta ka sa isang lugar, kung ano ‘yong mga kulang doon, punahin mo and then punuan mo. ‘Yon po ‘yong point ng mga netizens na lumapit po sa akin. It has nothing to do about you—it has something to do na may problema, at sinasabi nila kung ano ‘yong problema na dapat punuan natin ngayon,” Tulfo said.
In response, Frasco said she was willing to submit to Tulfo’s office all DOT promotional materials that do not feature her, underscoring the agency’s continued promotion of tourist destinations despite limited funding.
The issue resurfaced after a photographer’s complaint went viral, alleging that despite shooting hundreds of tourist sites nationwide, Frasco’s image was predominantly used in the final materials.
“Yung pinag-shoot n’yo kami ng Region 1 to Region 13… almost 320 tourist spot. 236,000 photos. 6,500 video materials. Tapos eto lang pala ilalagay n’yo, DOT,” the photographer said in a Facebook post.