MANILA - The Makabayan bloc on Wednesday called on Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo to resign over the controversial P60-million ad placement on her brothers' TV show on state-run PTV-4.

State auditors last week said there was no memorandum of agreement or contract between PTV-4 and the media outfit of Teo's brothers Ben and Erwin Tulfo to air tourism commercials on their show "Kilos Pronto."

The show, produced by Bitag Media Unlimited Inc (BMUI), is a block-timer on the state-run station.

Teo should have the "delicadeza" or sense of propriety to step down over the issue, Anakpawis party-list Rep. Ariel Casilao, a member of the 7-partylist bloc said in a press conference.

He argued that the secretary should have urged her brothers to back out of the transaction and ordered another bidding for the contract.

ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, meanwhile, questioned why the contract with PTV-4 was pricier than the ads aired on bigger media networks.

Teo had denied any conflict of interest in the deal, saying the transaction was between DOT and PTV-4, not her brother's media outfit.

It was PTV-4's own decision to place the ads in her brothers' show due to its high ratings, she said.

• Teo: No conflict of interest in tourism ads on brothers' show

The People’s Television Network, Inc for its part said that its P60-million ad payments to Tulfo was supported by documents, including a contract, certificate of performance, budget request and statement on the completion of deliverables.

The Commission on Audit has asked the PTV-4 management to submit supporting documents.

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered an investigation into the issue.

Duterte has fired several high-ranking Cabinet members and government employees amid allegations of corruption. He has repeatedly said he would fire his appointees on a “whiff of corruption.”

-- Report from Robert Mano, ABS-CBN News