Montano still goes to work amid complaint

It’s business as usual for Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Chief Operating Officer (TPB) Cesar Montano who continues to work despite a complaint filed against him by his staff on alleged irregularities. (Photo by Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy Manila – http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwhr613.html, Public Domain,)

MANILA—It’s business as usual for Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Chief Operating Officer (TPB) Cesar Montano who continues to work despite a complaint filed against him by his staff on alleged irregularities.

Tourism Secretary and TPB Chairman Wanda Teo, who recently arrived from an expo in Berlin, Germany, said that Montano remained as chief of the DOT’s marketing arm.

“He still goes to the office,” Teo told reporters on the sidelines of the 2017 ASEAN-China Year Tourism Cooperation held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on Thursday.

She refused to comment when asked if she still “trusted” Montano as Pres. Rodrigo Duterte previously stated in a speech.

The Secretary previously admitted that Montano was not her first choice to head the TPB.

On Monday (March 13), Pres. Duterte said that he still trusted Montano amid allegations and urged officials to file a case.

The Secretary reiterated that the agency would await results of the investigation being conducted by the Presidential Action Center (PACE) where the complaint was filed.

She said that she had no plans for her agency to conduct its own investigation as the Senate also eyed its own probe on the issue.

Asked if she was aware of the allegations even before the complaint was filed, Teo said that she has read them in the newspapers.

In the seven-page letter of complaint filed at the PACE, Montano was accused of irregularities including entering into multimillion peso deals without approval from the board, hiring his own staff whose functions were redundant with current employees and the questionable use public funds.