DAR chief secures CA confirmation, too

MANILA — The Commission on Appointments (CA) on Tuesday confirmed the ad interim appointment of Christina Frasco as tourism secretary.

CA majority leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte endorsed the appointment of Frasco to the plenary.

Villafuerte said having a tourism chief with roots in local governance would be an advantage to the industry. Frasco is a former mayor of Liloan, Cebu.

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Frasco said she looked to strengthen gateway access, address lack of infrastructure, and improve health, safety, and hygiene in the tourism industry.

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A change in the country’s tourism slogan is also is the works, she said.

“Considering everything that Filipinos have been through, upon discussion as well with the President, it is the general notion that perhaps it is time to revisit the branding campaign of the Philippines to study how it may evolve, reflect the best qualities of the Philippines and the Filipino people, go beyond simply having fun,” Frasco said.

But Sen. Nancy Binay suggested to Frasco to reconsider this plan.

“I think isa ‘yan sa reklamo na we keep changing our slogans. ‘Yong potential market abroad, hindi sustainable. Tayo lang ata ‘yong country na every 6 years, we try to change our slogan. And with your limited budget, we should also consider the cost,” Binay said.

(I think that's one of the complaints, that we keep changing our slogans. The potential market abroad us not sustainable. Perhaps we are the only country that tries to change our slogan every 6 years.)

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Meanwhile, the CA also gave its nod to Conrado Estrella III as secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

Sen. Loren Legarda co-sponsored to the plenary the confirmation of his appointment.

"With his commitment, his vast experience and strong advocacy to uplift the lives of farmers and to strengthen the agriculture sector, I am certain that Secretary Estrella III can effectively lead the Department of Agrarian Reform and advance the agrarian reform program towards genuine rural development," she said.

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