THE P60 million paid by the Department of Tourism (DOT) for advertisements on Ben Tulfo’s — brother of resigned Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo — show on government channel PTV-4 has yet to be returned, current Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.

“It has not been returned,” Puyat said regarding the promise of Ben Tulfo’s company, Bitag Media Unlimited Inc., to return the money.

When asked if she had followed up on the return of the funds, Puyat answered, “They said they would. But I will check again. They might have returned it today (Tuesday, May 29).”

However, Ramon Tulfo, the eldest of the Tulfo brothers, said that lawyer Ferdinand Topacio was not speaking on behalf of the Tulfos when Topacio promised that Ben would return the money.

“When Topacio said the Tulfo brothers, in a family meeting, had decided to return the P60 million, the guy was talking for himself,” Ramon Tulfo said.

Wanda Teo-Tulfo resigned as Tourism secretary after the Commission on Audit raised a red flag over the P60 million payment made by the DOT for advertisements on “Kilos Pronto (Fast Action),” a public service show produced by Bitag Media and hosted by Ben and another Tulfo, Erwin.

Puyat was designated by President Rodrigo Duterte as Teo’s replacement on May 8.