There is little by way of credibility that explains why Wanda Tulfo Teo is still Department of Tourism Secretary. Especially given a President who keeps repeating over and over: Just a whiff of corruption and you’re out.

With Teo, it’s not just a whiff. But a stench. It’s not even just a stench, but proper documentation about, and witnesses to, the manner in which she handles her position and operates her office. And it doesn’t take a genius to see how incompetent she is, unable to talk about a vision for tourism that is not just about motherhood statements and beauty pageant answers — and we’re talking “world peace” level answers, not even Gloria Diaz responding with “Why, do you eat with your feet?” when a judge asked about Filipinos eating with our hands, IN 1969.

Let’s not even get into what she says though, because what she does, the allegations that have been raised against her, are enough to get any public official fired. This is not one instance, but multiple instances; it’s not just one story but multiple stories. As sacred cows go, she’s the most sacred of them all. 

As early as November 2016, a mere four months after her July appointment, Teo was subject of a blind item:

<…> this Cabinet official asked an assistant the very next day to get in touch with the executives of the mall and ask them for 150 tickets—that’s right, 150—for a musical that was being staged in the theater owned by the firm. <…>

Instead of an outright rejection, however, the real estate firm sent this Cabinet official VIP tickets for the Cabinet official to watch the popular musical. And so the Cabinet official watched the musical. But it didn’t end there.

After the show, the Cabinet official went window-shopping at the mall and promptly found some interesting items. Thus, this official asked staffers to call the mall executives to inform them that the official wanted two pairs of designer shoes seen in the shops right that minute.

But the mall official reasoned that such a request could not immediately be granted. Instead, the stunned mall executive suggested that the shoes be sent to the Cabinet official’s office the next day.

The mall executive also rejected a suggestion by the Cabinet official’s staffer saying that the official should just be given a complimentary P50,000 spending spree, with purchases over this amount to be settled by the official.

How do we know this blind item pertained to Teo? Because her brother Mon Tulfo, asked her about it.

Hilarious, right.

Teo denied it completely, saying that someone in her office must be using her name.

But in a letter addressed to the Presidential Action Center dated June 6 2017 by the Concerned DOT Employees who had, at this point, collected a slew of allegations against Teo, this specific bit about the blind item — particularly the shoes — was number 12 of their detailed complaint. The letter itself highlighted not just Teo’s highly questionable decisions and practices, but also the “tyranny” of her Chief of Staff Arlene Mancao. This letter was stamped and signed received by Malacañang on Jun 9 2017.  To wit:

11.  Three (3) employees of OSEC have already resigned <names withheld> because they can no longer stomach the abuses of Mancao. Mancao has been feeding the OSEC staff using the OSEC funds which are for official purpose only. There is so much unrest in the DOT. We, the employees of DOT feel hapless and helpless under Mancao’s tyranny – Si Mancao ang may ari ng DOT! Si Mancao ang naghahariharian sa DOT! And the secretary would just close her eyes on these. We wonder what Mancao has got over the Secretary for Mancao has reduced the Secretary to a mere puppet.

 

12.  One of these three (3) resigned employees was the one who received the Ferragamo shoes and shopping GC’s demanded by the Secretary from Resorts World. The shoes and shopping GC were turned over to Mancao <emphasis mine>. These three resigned employees would readily testify regarding the tyrannies and abuses of Mancao.