MANILA- It's her clean record that got her the job.

Newly-appointed Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat on Wednesday asserted that her record at the Department of Agriculture (DA) landed her the top post at the Department of Tourism and not her friendship with President Rodrigo Duterte.

"He (Duterte) basically appointed me because he said that I've been in the DA for so long, 12 years already, a[nd] there's no trace of corruption," she told ABS-CBN News.

"I've kept myself clean. Sa kaniya kasi ang pinaka importante is walang corruption," she added.

(The most important thing for him is that there's no corruption.)

A former undersecretary of the agriculture department, Romulo-Puyat was appointed as the new head of the tourism department after Wanda Teo's resignation.

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Teo vacated her post following a P60-million ad scandal, where tourism advertisement was placed on her brothers' television show.

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A daughter of former Senator and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, Romulo-Puyat has an undergraduate and master's degree in economics from the University of the Philippines.

She has been serving under the agriculture department since the administration of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

CULINARY TOURISM

As the new head of the DOT, Romulo-Puyat said she plans to focus on culinary tourism and continue farm tourism.

"Hindi ba when you go to a country, di ba pagkain ang one of the (things) tourists go to?" she said.

(When you go to a country, isn't it that food is one of the interests of tourists?)

She has previously worked with the DOT during previous administrations for the Madrid Fusion Manila, a gastronomy congress.

Romulo-Puyat added that once she finishes her work at the DA, she will immediately meet with tourism officials to discuss projects and hear their insights.

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