Thursday, May 10, 2018
Agriculture Undersecretary of Philippines, Bernadette Puyat has been named as the new secretary of the Department of Tourism by Philippine President Rodrigo Dutetre, a day after he fired Wanda Teo over corruption allegations.
Duterte made the appointment on Tuesday night. Bernadette Puyat told the local media that Duterte’s aide Christopher Go confirmed Puyat’s appointment late Tuesday.
Bernadette Puyat was Undersecretary for Administration, Agribusiness And Marketing, and regional engagement at the Department of Agriculture before her appointment as tourism secretary.
Puyat is a daughter of former senator and former foreign secretary Alberto Romulo. She is a widow whose husband, Dave, died of a heart attack while playing football in 2010.
Bernadette Puyat worked in government as early as 2005, when she was a consultant to the Presidential Management Staff under the Arroyo administration. It was her superior at PMS, Arthur Yap, who asked her to join him at the DA.
