Palace: It’s up to DOJ to collect P60 M from Tulfos

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang is leaving it up to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to collect from former tourism secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo and her brother Ben the P60 million flagged by the Commission on Audit for the questionable advertisement deal between the state-run People’s Television Network Inc. and the tourism department during her tenure.

The statement came after allegations were raised that Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar had a hand in the deal.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo yesterday said it would be up to the DOJ to also pursue charges against any personality involved in the controversy.

“That’s DOJ’s call. Their mandate is to prosecute those who have violated the law,” Panelo said.

He maintained that the Palace will not allow any abuse or issue of corruption to continue under the Duterte administration.

“The Palace always wants that laws are not only enforced but are obeyed to its fullest extent. As we said, there are no sacred cows in this government, friends or allies,” the spokesman said.

Ombudsman’s jurisdiction

For his part, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the recovery of the amount should be initiated by the Office of the Ombudsman.

“The allegedly anomalous transaction involving high-level government officials falls under the primary investigative jurisdiction of the Office of the Ombudsman. Should a graft case prosper and reach the Sandiganbayan, the recovery of the P60 million paid to Ben Tulfo’s company will be automatically part of that action,” he said in a text message.

Guevarra added that the DOJ can only assist the ombudsman in prosecuting a possible case before the anti-graft court.

But Ombudsman Samuel Martires remains mum on the status of his office’s investigation on the alleged anomalous advertisements that the Department of Tourism placed with Tulfo’s Bitag Media Unlimited Inc.

Martires and his media bureau did not respond to The STAR’s request yesterday for an update on the investigation.

His predecessor Conchita Carpio-Morales had earlier confirmed that the ombudsman had launched a motu propio or self-initiated investigation in May 2018 on the controversial ad placement deal.

Morales said investigators from the ombudsman’s Field Investigation Office were directed to conduct a fact-finding probe on the matter.

Appeal for respect

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde appealed to members of the media to be more respectful in dealing with government officials following the tirades of radio broadcaster Erwin Tulfo against Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista.

“If you are a media practitioner, you have a big responsibility because you can ruin not only the reputation of a person,” he said in a recent interview.

A journalist, Albayalde added, can also destroy the reputation of an official’s family with unwarranted attacks.

“We should have a sense of balance and responsibility,” he said.

While officials would want to grant requests for interview, Albayalde said journalists should understand that they could not be available all the time.

If he has spare time, Albayalde said he is more than willing to answer queries from the media, noting that it is always better for a leader of a government institution to speak when there are issues.

Meanwhile, the Tulfo siblings have yet to reapply for escorts following their removal by the PNP Police Security and Protection Group. – With Edu Punay, Elizabeth Marcelo, Emmanuel Tupas