MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism’s Office of Public Affairs and Advocacy on Tuesday confirmed that Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco will be taking a leave this week.
Frasco’s leave will begin on Thursday, July 13 and will last until July 21, Friday.
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The DOT-OPAA said Frasco will be attending President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr’s second State of the Nation Address on July 24, Monday.
Frasco’s week-long vacation leave will come weeks after the launch of the controversial tourism campaign “Love the Philippines” which faced backlash over the use of foreign stock footage in a video that was supposed to promote the country.
The DDB Philippines has apologized to the DOT, Frasco and the Filipino over the “unfortunate oversight” while clarifying that the video was meant to be a mood video that is intended to “to excite internal stakeholders about the campaign.”
The tourism agency said it has repeatedly confirmed the ownership and originality of the key visuals used for the video and has expressed “extreme disappointment” over the use of non-original materials.
The DOT has since terminated its contract with the DDB but the department has continued to use the new tourism branding.
Amid the tourism campaign mess, however, the DOT-OPAA clarified that Frasco’s leave was filed ahead of the controversy.
“Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco filed her leave application on May 9, 2023. This was approved by the Office of the President on May 23, 2023,” the DOT-OPAA said.
“The purpose of the short leave beginning July 13-21 consisting of only 7 working days, is to spend time with her young family,” it added.
“She is confirmed to attend the SONA. Any insinuation to the contrary is false,” the DOT also said.
The DOT did not respond when asked whether Frasco will defer her leave amid the issues faced by the department due to the rebranding of the tourism campaign.
Frasco’s chief of staff and Undersecretary for legal and special concerns Mae Elaine Bathan will serve as the officer-in-charge of the DOT while the secretary is on leave, according to DOT-OPAA.