DOT Sec. Ma. Esperanza Christina Codilla-Frasco – Photo courtesy of Jess M. Escaros Jr./Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco told senators on Tuesday that a Japanese magazine which featured her image on its cover was published without her consent and did not use government funds.
During a hearing of the Senate committee on tourism, Frasco said the Department of Tourism (DOT) had no participation in the production, funding, or editorial direction of Philippine Topics, a magazine distributed for free in Japan.
She reiterated that neither she nor the DOT authorized the use of her image, stressing that public funds were not spent on the publication and that the matter had already been addressed by the agency.
Frasco explained that the DOT operates official digital platforms that document the agency’s projects and the activities of its leadership, which she said accounted for her frequent appearance on the department’s website.
She said she immediately ordered an investigation after learning about the magazine to determine how the publication obtained access to DOT-related materials.
The inquiry showed that Philippine Topics had requested permission to cover the Philippine Expo Pavilion during the Philippine National Day celebration at the Osaka Expo, which the DOT had allowed solely for event coverage.
According to Frasco, the magazine later used photos and content lifted from that coverage without conducting interviews or securing approval, prompting the DOT to send a demand letter asserting that the publication was independent of the agency and not funded by the government.