MANILA, Philippines — Heeding the order of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Ricky Alegre tendered his courtesy resignation from his post as assistant secretary Tuesday.
In his resignation letter addressed to President Rodrigo Duterte, Alegre said he is giving the chief executive and Puyat a “free hand” to determine who would continue to serve in the Tourism department.
“When I accepted this post on September 5, 2016, I took to heart the mandate you had given us to continue to promote tourism in the country so that its benefits could be felt by each and every Filipino. I have tried to heed that call to the best of my abilities,” he said.
Alegre, who also served as the department's spokesperson, added: “However, because of unforeseen circumstances, I feel it is necessary to tender this courtesy resignation because we all just definitely serve at the pleasure of the president.”
His resignation came hours after Puyat ordered the undersecretaries and assistant secretaries of former Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo to submit their unqualified courtesy resignations, saying it is the “right thing to do.”
She, however, clarified that the submission of courtesy resignations does not necessarily mean the officials would be removed from the agency.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra issued a similar memorandum when he replaced Vitaliano Aguirre II in April.
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