Following claims made online by a photographer, the Department of Tourism (DOT) on Wednesday said Tourism Secretary Esperanza Cristina G. The allegations made regarding a magazine cover featuring Fresco are false and misleading.
“Any claims that the Department or the Secretary have used public office or resources for personal promotion are false, misleading, and categorically denied,” the department said in a statement.
“The department views the spread of these false claims with grave concern,” it said.
In a now-deleted Facebook post by Max Abasalo, a photographer reportedly hired by the department to photograph “about 320 tourist spots” across the country, he expressed his disappointment after seeing the cover of Philippine Topics magazine.
“When you were assigned to shoot from Area 1 to Area 13… about 320 tourist sites, 236,000 photographs and 6,500 videos of material, just for their use,” he said in Filipino.
However, DoT denies that it has rights over the publication in question, which is privately owned.
“DOT clarifies that it did not supply the photo in question to Philippine Topics,” the department said. “At no time did the Department direct, select, approve, or endorse any photographs for the magazine.”
It added, “Any implication that DOT chose or supported the use of the Secretary's image rather than destination-focused materials is completely false and without factual basis.”
The department also noted that the privately run publication independently covered World Expo Osaka 2026 and all activities related to the event.
“The Department did not contract, pay, commission, or direct the magazine to produce its cover or feature story,” it says. “The content, including the selection of images and text, was prepared solely at the editorial discretion of the magazine.”
The World Expo Osaka 2025 was a major global event held on the island of Yumeshima from 13 April to 13 October. It showcased cutting-edge innovations, global cultural experiences and advanced technologies to millions of visitors from around the world. , Almira Louise S. Martinez