Duterte to Fire Cesar Montano as Tourism Board Chief Over Alleged Corruption

President Rodrigo Duterte is set to fire Cesar Montano as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), an office under the Department of Tourism (DOT). This is after the award-winning actor is currently facing various complaints of alleged corruption and mismanagement of some projects under the said agency.

Loading...

“The allegations against Mr. [Cesar] Montano are enough for President Duterte to terminate him for his post. The president understands that Montano is one of his millions of supporters during the 2016 elections, but this should not be an excuse.” An insider from Malacañang who requested anonymity for his own protection said.

“As we all know, President Duterte has already fired other government officials who supported him, and will not hesitate to fire more of them if they will be involved in corruption. After all, this was the president’s promise during his campaign – to stop corruption.” The insider added, noting that the president will first talk to Montano personally.

Must Read: Cesar Montano to Run for Senator in 2019 Under LP After Junked by PDP-Laban

Allegedly, Montano did not go through the proper bidding in the P320-million "Buhay Carinderia," a project that aims to promote local eateries. This prompted newly-appointed DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat to suspend all the other projects of TPB, and had asked the Commission on Audit (COA) to review its projects.

As a defense, Montano blamed resigned DOT Secretary Wanda Teo in the "Buhay Carinderia” controversy. According to him, Teo personally knows Linda Legaspi of Marylindbert International whom he paid in full the P80 million even if the project has not yet started. Nevertheless, he admitted that the project did not undergo proper bidding.

Montano, who was known for portraying the country’s national hero Dr. Jose Rizal in the 1998 blockbuster movie Rizal, also allegedly entered into contracts with producers to hold concerts and events where he was one of the performers. He is also accused of hiring relatives and friends, incompetence, and using public funds for personal travels.



In March 2017, TPB employees filed a complaint through a letter to the Presidential Action Center and listed 24 irregularities allegedly committed by Montano as their head. Aside from unpleasant acts, the actor is accused of nepotism when he hired his brother Rommel Montano, a relative named Priza Cinco, and distant in-law Cliffer Mendoza.

Contributed by Orlando Gagui