DOT, House members going on Norway, Iceland junket

MANILA, Philippines - Four congressmen together with four employees of the House of Representatives secretariat are set to leave  with five officials of the Department of Tourism (DOT) led by Secretary Wanda Teo on a junket to Iceland and Norway.

Reps. Ma. Carmen Zamora of Compostela Valley, Mark Aeron Sambar (Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta party-list), Paolo Everardo Javier (Antique) and Oscar Richard Garin Jr. (Iloilo) will be touring with House secretariat employees Cecilia de Sahagun, Julieta Apostol, Liza Mijares and Jocelyn Lim on July 14 to 22 ostensibly for purposes of observing the two countries’ best practices on gender equality.

House secretary-general Cesar Strait Pareja confirmed that the four are members of the House secretariat.

Other tourism officials joining the junket, whose expenses will be shouldered by the DOT at an estimated P2.1 million for airfare alone, are Office of Tourism Development Planning, Research and Information Management Director IV Milagros Say, senior tourism operations officer Ruth Tizon and training and development division officer Jerlie Ganiga. The name of another DOT official, however, was unavailable as of yesterday.

Of the 13 officials, eight are from the House contingent while five are from DOT.

DOT denies participation

The Department of Tourism, however, cleared its office from participating in the junket.

In a text message to The STAR, DOT Assistant Secretary and spokesman Ricky Alegre said that the eight-day trip is an activity of the House of Representatives.

“Sec. Wanda (Teo) is not part of the trip,” added Alegre, who is not part of the trip.

Alegre, who seemed hesitant to answer The STAR, said he has no information as to what the DOT officials’ role in the trip would be.

He could not also provide information on who will shoulder the airfare of DOT officials, instead urging the reporter to check the information with the House for further details.

“Let me check,” Alegre replied when asked if the DOT has already spent for the scheduled trip.

A document obtained by The STAR showed that three DOT officials are set to fly to Iceland and Norway on July 14-22 along with four employees of the House secretariat and four congressmen.

The document showed that the one-week trip to Iceland and Norway has an estimated budget of P2,156,686 for 13 international economy-class airline tickets for Manila-Iceland-Norway-Manila.

It also covered the travel insurance for the DOT personnel for the travel duration.

The document showed, as well, that the ticket purchased has a validity period of six months, covers a regular fare, 30 kilos of checked-in luggage and two pieces of luggage weighing 23 kilos each during the domestic flight.

Ganiga and Tizon were not available for comment when contacted by The STAR yesterday afternoon, according to their respective staffers. – Perseus Echeminada