DOT slams “false, misleading” allegations versus Sec. Frasco

The Department of Tourism (DOT) has cried foul over allegations by a production executive regarding the use of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco's image on the cover of a magazine published in English and Japanese.

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The controversy stemmed from a Facebook post by Max Abasolo, who claimed that Frasco appeared on the cover of Philippine Topics magazine despite his team having produced “236,000 photos” and “6,500 video materials” from shoots in destinations spanning “Region 1 to Region 13.” The cover showed Frasco’s photo superimposed over an image of an unnamed island and beach destination.

Reacting to the backlash generated by Abasolo’s post, the DOT described the allegations as “false and misleading.”

“With respect to claims made by a certain photographer, the DOT clarifies that it did not supply the photograph in question to Philippine Topics,” the agency said in a statement issued on December 31, 2025.

It added: “Any implication that the DOT chose or favored the use of an image of the Secretary over destination-focused materials is entirely false and without factual basis.”