DOT, House junket to Norway, Iceland cancelled

MANILA, Philippines - A planned weeklong junket of congressmen and Department of Tourism (DOT) officials this Friday to Iceland and Norway is no longer pushing through.

At the same time, the DOT invoked the law in justifying the planned trip of tourism officials together with four congressmen and four staffers of the House of Representatives secretariat.

A DOT statement released at the close of office hours yesterday said the trip “is a legitimate program which is in compliance with the requirements of (Republic Act) 9593 and RA 7192 otherwise known as ‘Gender Awareness Development (GAD)’ and is done in coordination with the House of Representatives.”

The statement also reiterated that Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo and her staff were not among those set to join the junket, ostensibly to observe best practices in gender equality in the two Nordic countries.

Economy-class tickets for the group, costing over P2.1 million, had been reserved and were to be paid for by the DOT.

Department spokesman Ricky Alegre said the other day that the trip “for Gender Awareness Development” had not yet been finalized, and that Teo was not among the participants. Alegre also said it was an activity of the House of Representatives.

A document obtained by The STAR showed that DOT officials going on the trip were Tourism Development Planning, Research and Information Management director IV Milagros Say, senior tourism operations officer Ruth Tizon and training and development division officer Jerlie Ganiga. Another DOT official on the trip was not identified. Sources said this was Teo.

In its statement yesterday, the DOT reiterated that Teo would not be part of the “benchmarking activity in leading countries to enlighten us to formulate and implement policies that will empower women and promote gender equality.”

House members tossed to the DOT the task of explaining the trip.

The House contingent in the junket is composed of Reps. Ma. Carmen Zamora of Compostela Valley, Mark Aeron Sambar of Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta party-list, Paolo Everardo Javier of Antique and Oscar Richard Garin Jr. of Iloilo together with House secretariat employees Cecilia de Sahagun, Julieta Apostol, Liza Mijares and Jocelyn Lim.

“No airline booking has been made either for Sec. Teo or for any member of her staff,” the DOT statement said yesterday. “Neither the four House representatives, along with four House secretariat employees, have been booked for the proposed GAD activity.”