Trillanes calls for probe into DOT ad deal with Bitag

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV on Wednesday filed a resolution urging a Senate panel to probe the multi-million advertising deal between Bitag Media Unlimited Inc. (BMUI) and the Department of Tourism.

In his three-page Sen. Resolution No. 726, Trillanes called on the Senate Committee on Tourism to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation into the anomalous deal with state-run Philippine Television Network Inc. (PTNI) that went to the advertisements for the show of resigned Tourism chief Wanda Tulfo-Teo’s brother, Ben Tulfo. BMUI received three checks amounting to P60,009,560 for carrying the ads.

The tourism ads were aired on news-type magazine program "Kilos Pronto," a show produced by BMUI which is owned by Ben. The program is also hosted by Ben, his brother Erwin, and broadcaster Alex Santos.

Trillanes said “it can bet surmised that the PTNI brokered ads for its own blocktimer which is BMUI.”

The advertisement deal was initially questioned by the Commission on Audit in an annual report which stated that the transaction between the PTNI, DOT and BMUI lacked supported documents. Trillanes cited this April 27, 2018 report in filing his resolution.

Trillanes cited that PTNI failed to provide Certificate of Performance which determines the actual airing time and frequency of the actual segments, as well as the Budget Utilization Request. He said lack of such document “casts doubt on the legality and validity of the payments made by the DOT and [PTNI.]”

In this light, the senator said he seeks to ensure that the budget allocated to DOT, particularly for its expenditures in advertising and marketing are “legally and properly disbursed and spent.”

"There is an immediate need to look into the irregularities in the disposition of the DOT’s budget and its expenditures in advertising and marketing in order to ensure that government funds are legally and properly allocated, directed and spent towards the sole purpose for which the funds were allocated," Trillanes said.

Trillanes said the absence of vital documents and other deficiencies in the transaction is a clear violation of Presidential Decreee No 1455 series of 1978 or the Government Auditing Code and COA Circular No. 2012-2001, which lists the required documents for government transactions.

On Monday, Teo’s legal counsel Ferdinand Topacio announced that BMUI agreed to return the P60 million it received from the advertisement deal.

READ: Bitag to return P60M, Roberto Teo quits TIEZA amid DOT ads controversy

Senate Committee on Tourism chair Nancy Binay welcomed  BMUI's decision to return the advertisement funds but said that the DOT and PTNI still needed to clarify the issue.

“Perhaps the DOT can shed light on the advertising deals the tourism department entered into with PTNI following the Commission on Audit’s findings,” Binay said, citing the reports that the deal to air DOT’s commercials lacked a memorandum of agreement, certificate of performance, duly-approved budget utilization request and billing statements.

Following the controversy, Teo tendered her resignation on Monday. The announcement was made by her lawyer after The STAR reported President Rodrigo Duterte told Teo to hand her resignation in a one-on-one meeting at the end of the 25th Cabinet meet

Topacio clarified that there was no such demand from the president and that the decision “was purely of her own volition.”