The big difference between Frasco and fiasco

Those who want to put Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco in a bad light are trying their best to make mountains out of molehills and make her look like a loser, due to the unprofessional output of an ad company. Being a politician before joining President BBM's official family, and being the daughter of the fiery Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, not to mention, being the wife of Deputy House Speaker Duke Frasco, Secretary Frasco is a very vulnerable target of political intrigue. But they will not succeed.

They cannot put a good woman down. Maria Ezperanza Christina Garcia Codilla Frasco is no ordinary lady. She’s an achiever, a performance-driven and purpose-oriented individual who can stand all "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortunes" thrown her way by her critics and political enemies. She is a lawyer who finished with high grades from the Ateneo de Manila University. When she passed the Bar with flying colors, she joined the top-notch law firm of Romulo Mabanta Sayoc and Delos Angeles. But the practice of law is not really her destiny. She is destined to follow the footsteps of her mom, Governor and former deputy speaker Gwen, and her late lolo, governor and deputy speaker Pablo Garcia.

Secretary Frasco was elected and reelected mayor of Liloan from June 30, 2016 to July 2, 2022 when she was appointed to the position of Department of Tourism secretary. She first succeeded her husband in 2016, Duke Frasco, now deputy speaker, who achieved the unprecedented feat of toppling the Durano political empire after 50 years of monopoly. As mayor, she was awarded the prestigious Lingkod Bayan regional award by the Civil Service Commission in 2021. Her award was based on her outstanding performance as shown by her proactive initiatives towards innovation in governance, as well as for her sustainable and inclusive programs and projects fostering excellence in government service. Unlike other daughters of governors and other wives of congressmen, Cristina is her own person, a hard-working, focused, and highly-committed leader.

In the Philippine economic briefing in New York, she caught the attention of US businessmen and investors who were impressed with her communication and social skills and her mastery of the tourism business even though she is a neophyte in this field. President BBM was well pleased by her leadership in DOT that the chief executive gained the confidence of making tourism as one of the major avenues for the Philippine economic resurgence Under her leadership, the DOT, with a sense of urgency knowing the competitiveness of tourism among more than 200 countries worldwide, has attained unprecedented growth in all key results areas and key performance indicators. She is not an ivory tower manager but one who is hands-on, focused, and always on top of things even as she moves around from Ilocos Norte to Siargao, from Palawan to Bicol.

Secretary Frasco identified and ordered the installation of 10 tourism service areas, namely three in Luzon, five in the Visayas, and two in Mindanao. She formulated a seven-point agenda and adopted a three-pronged strategy of connectivity, convenience and quality, and equality of development of tourism sites. She also focused on the importance of tourist safety and security by partnering with the Department of National Defense, Department of the Interior and Local Government, the military, and the police. She works hard for budgets to support investments in tourism infrastructures. Her problem is that she is not the one in control of airports and seaports which, by the way, appears to me as the weakest links in the tourism multi-factors system. But she moves like a superwoman to connect with other agencies and make tourism more fun in the Philippines so that tourists would love the Philippines the way we do.

Thus, we should not judge Secretary Christina Frasco by one simple misfortune brought about by the fiasco caused by this incompetent and inept agency called DDB. She is just human and she cannot control everything. Even the White House, Kremlin, or Beijing commit some faux pas once in a while. What matters most is that we have a very sincere, honest, and hardworking young secretary. She is our biggest hope to put Cebuano leaders in the national gallery of greatness and prestige. Let us come to the succor of a lady in distress. Let us stop this crab mentality of pulling her down. She is a good person, a nice lady, and a dynamic leader. Let us wish her all the best.