DAVAO CITY”•No one is untouchable in the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte and everyone will have to answer for any wrongdoing, an official said Friday.
Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence Go made the statement following the controversy involving Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo
He made the statement even as the Presidential Communications Operations Office on Friday launched a media hub that aims to strengthen its communication services in Mindanao and to prevent the “spread of fake news,” Malacañang said.
PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar and Go led the launching of the Mindanao Media Hub here, and it may be used by the public to tell government about their needs and to report any wrongdoing or complaint against any government official.
“It is timely that we have finally decided to build a new hub here in Davao, particularly in Mindanao,” Go said.
“This will be the first time in our country that radio, TV, print, wire service, intra-personal communication, online and new media is under one group.”
Go said all documents pertaining to the People’s Television Network Inc. disbursement record on the Tourism department’s advertisements were already on the table of Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea for examination.
“The President is fair. He wants to find out the whole story. He has already spoken to ES Medialdea to look into it and whatever is the truth, it will come out,” Go said on Thursday.
“To President Duterte, no one is untouchable. Everyone will have to answer to him.”
Andanar begged off from commenting on the issue because, he said, it was already being reviewed.
“It is being reviewed by the President, and while it is being reviewed I will not comment,” Andanar told reporters at the sidelines of the Hard Hat Ceremony for the P700-million Mindanao Media Hub.
Earlier, Teo denied she had a hand in awarding the advertisement to her brother, saying the deal was a government-to-government contract that went through bidding.
She said the checks were issued to PTV4 when the deliverables were met.
Reports said the Commission on Audit had questioned PTNI’s disbursement record showing three checks issued to Ben Tulfo’s media outfit, Bitag Media Unlimited Inc., for P60.01 million worth of Tourism department commercials in 2017.
Teo also brushed aside accusations of conflict of interest, saying the ad placements were under the discretion of PTNI. With Vito Barcelo