Davao City 1st District Representative and Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte has slammed Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat over her management style and character.
Duterte has criticized the Tourism Secretary during budget deliberations at the plenary.
“Last Tuesday, September 17, I had planned on interpolating our esteemed colleague who is sponsoring the budget of the Department of Tourism to seek clarification on certain issues and concerns regarding what is happening now in that department,” Duterte said.
Duterte added that there have been a number of complaints on the management style of the Tourism Secretary. He mentioned that there are problems on the approval of contracts and projects in her department.
He was advised by House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano to sit with Puyat and discuss the matter privately.
“However, as part of the pre-plenary conference between agencies of the executive department and the House, our Honorable Speaker deemed it prudent that these issues be threshed out directly with Secretary Romulo Puyat, hence, following the established procedure in the House, I sat down with the Speaker and Secretary Romulo Puyat to discuss my concerns regarding her department,” Duterte said.
“Napupuyat na ako sa babae na ito. In the presence of our Speaker, I thought that was the last of it. Ang buong akala ko ay maganda ang ikakabunga ng aming pag-uusap, ‘yon pala ay mauuwi lang sa sumbungan at mga maling paratang laban sa akin, at alam niyo na kung kanino,” Duterte added.
Puyat was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte, Paolo’s father.
