Montano tags Wanda Teo in Carinderia mess

MANILA, Philippines — Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) chief Cesar Montano broke his silence yesterday on the controversial “Buhay Carinderia” project, tagging resigned tourism secretary Wanda Teo in the project.

Montano claimed Teo, who personally knows Linda Legaspi of Marylindbert International, had referred the project to him for funding.

It was Legaspi who received the P80-million fund and conceptualized Buhay Carinderia, Montano stressed. 

Montano said the TPB approved the project without public bidding as Legaspi wanted “financial sponsorship.” 

“The financial sponsorship has long been in practice… this is aboveboard so no one among us benefited from it, including me,” Montano stressed.

He said Legaspi is willing to return the P80 million, adding that he sees no problem if the Department of Tourism (DOT) wants to stop the project. 

Montano made headlines in the past week for the TPB’s Buhay Carinderia project where he allegedly paid in full the P80 million to Legaspi even if the project has yet to start.

The anomaly was highlighted after newly appointed Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat learned the project did not undergo bidding when it was awarded to Legaspi. 

Puyat also learned the project was given to Legaspi in a form of  “sponsorship” – a process that she said does not happen in the Department of Agriculture where she was formerly connected. Puyat was DA undersecretary before her appointment to the DOT top post. 

Feeling uncomfortable about the process, Puyat said she has decided to ask the Commission on Audit (COA) to review the multimillion-peso project of Montano along with his other projects in the TPB. 

Montano said he saw nothing personal in Puyat’s action to ask the COA to review the project.

He said he is willing to cooperate in whatever investigation that will be conducted against him.