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The Fee on Audit questions whether or not the presence of officers at tourism occasions overseas was obligatory
MANILA, Philippines – The Fee on Audit (COA) flagged what it described as pointless and extreme overseas journey bills incurred by officers of the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) in 2023.
In its 2023 report, state auditors famous a 57% enhance within the TPB’s spending on overseas travels through the 12 months. A good portion of the extra prices had been charged to a Division of Tourism (DOT) program known as Bisita, Be My Visitor (BBMG).
This system goals to encourage abroad Filipino staff (OFWs) and different Filipinos overseas to ask their overseas friends to go to the Philippines.
COA wrote that the lead company for this system was the DOT, whereas the TPB solely held a supporting position. It questioned the TPB’s deployment of a number of personnel to carry out what it described as redundant features.
The TPB executives tagged in audit observations embody the next officers who incurred P3.74 million in journey bills:
- The Home Promotions Division (DPD) supervisor and the appearing head of the Branding Administration and Promoting Division who attended BBMG occasions in Tokyo, San Francisco, London, Germany and the UAE;
- A TPB mission growth officer who joined BBMG in Tokyo, San Francisco and London to “put together logistics” and attend “administrative preparations”;
- 4 different TPB executives flew to Dubai to “present help, facilitate, or coordinate,” and;
- Two extra officers that flew to Germany for “help and coordination.”
Seven TPB officers additionally spent P890,500 once they attended the World Journey Market in London in November 2023. These embody the TPB’s deputy chief working officer for advertising and marketing and promotions, and appearing heads of the Worldwide Promotions Division (IPD) in varied continents.
Nevertheless, COA questioned their presence on the occasion since their duties included monitoring and coordinating obligatory preparations and interesting in business-to-business (B2B) actions.
“These actions had been all being carried out by the Deputy Chief Working Officer for Advertising & Promotions and the opposite tasks of the TPB delegates in WTM are considerably related to one another, thus, their presence is already questionable for being pointless,” state auditors wrote.
In its response to the audit report, the TPB maintained that the officers’ presence within the occasions overseas had been obligatory in managing what it described as important duties. However it vowed to draft tips to make sure there’s a constant coverage when deploying workers to tourism occasions overseas. – Rappler.com
