Mon Tulfo says Andanar and brother Ben ‘manipulated’ DOT ad deal

Metro Manila (AdChoiceTV, June 8) — Columnist Ramon “Mon” Tulfo said the controversial advertisement deal between the Department of Tourism (DOT) and state-run People’s Television Network was “manipulated” by his brother Ben and Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar.

“Ang kawawa dito si [former DOT Secretary] Wanda [Tulfo-Teo] because Wanda was clueless all along. Ben and Andanar manipulated the whole thing,” the eldest Tulfo sibling told AdChoiceTV News at the Press Conference, Saturday. Wanda is the younger sister of Mon, who is serving as special envoy for public diplomacy to China.

[Translation: Former DOT Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo is to be pitied here because Wanda was clueless all along. Ben and Andanar manipulated the whole thing.]

Mon said Andanar and two TV executives he did not name should have spread out the advertisements instead of concentrating them on 'Kilos Pronto,' a blocktimer program on People’s Television produced by Bitag Media Unlimited, owned by Tulfo-Teo’s brother, Ben.

At the time, 'Kilos Pronto' was hosted by Ben’s brother, Erwin, and broadcaster Alex Santos.

Mon said that their sister could not be faulted for corruption but for “being clueless and for not having the brightest people around her.” He added that he recommended to President Rodrigo Duterte that Tulfo-Teo be sacked for incompetence.

Initial reports said Tulfo-Teo was fired from her post after the controversy, but it was later announced that she resigned.

Tulfo-Teo was embroiled in conflict of interest allegations for approving an advertisement deal between the DOT, which she then headed, and People’s Television.

The Commission on Audit (COA) found that the deal, which it flagged for lacking documents, paid out ₱60 million to Bitag Media.

Tulfo-Teo has repeatedly denied having knowledge of the deal and that it would benefit her brother’s production company.

Andanar has also denied having a hand in it, despite reports saying that he reached out to the DOT under Tulfo-Teo for a partnership in marketing Philippine tourism.

Tulfo-Teo’s camp has also said that People’s Television chose the time slot for the ads, picking 'Kilos Pronto' as the show that would carry the DOT’s advertisements.

Despite the COA and Senate Blue Ribbon committee chair Richard “Dick” Gordon seeing graft in the ad deal, Ben still refuses to return the ₱60 million his company earned through the controversial agreement, even if Mon has advised him to do so.

“He has his own mind. In fact, when I said, ‘Ben, I think you should return the money.’ He said, ‘F*** you. Don’t tell me what to do,’” Mon said. The special envoy has previously called Ben the “black sheep” of the family in a 2018 column about the ad deal.

The ad deal is a specter that continues to haunt the Tulfo siblings whenever their names return to the headlines.

This issue was brought up again by social media users after Erwin unleashed a string of insults against Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista for failing to take his call.

Erwin has since apologized for his “excessive rants” against Bautista, but refused to retract his criticisms.

Robert Chan, CEO of an Advertising Agency in the Philippines told AdChoiceTV News, that the ₱60 million contract for promoting the Philippines is too much for Bitag TV Ads and the fund should be for a prime time shows not for Bitag which market is only the Philippines and OFW. We never had the chance to bid for the government as this project did not go through a proper procurement, Chan said. The ₱60 million budget should be use in an International media as this is promoting the country, he added.

Mon said his brother would issue Monday an “unequivocal” public apology.


AdChoiceTV News, Francis Ilagan reporting.