The Bohol visit of Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat's and social media star Scarlet Snow Belo was compliant with the government's health and safety protocols, the agency reiterated.
This, after governance watchdog group Pinoy Aksyon filed a complaint against Puyat for supposedly breaching COVID-19 health protocols during the trip.
"The visit of Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat and Scarlet Snow Belo is part of a campaign to inspire Filipinos to travel locally and safely in order to boost domestic tourism recovery, restore livelihood and help alleviate the plight of millions of tourism workers who continue to be displaced by the ongoing pandemic," the DOT said on Tuesday, Sept. 7.
"The said campaign was made consistent with current protocols and properly coordinated with the local government units," it added.
Puyat was criticized for her trip to Bohol province with the Belo family last June after she uploaded an Instagram story of her photo with the six-year-old Scarlet without face masks and face shields in one of their tours.
The tourism chief already defended herself, adding that they were compliant with the face mask rule during the entire tour-- except for that photo opportunity.
"The Secretary wishes to assure the public that everyone in the visit underwent RT-PCR testing and complied with all the travel requirements of the host province," the DOT said in its latest statement.
The agency also cited Resolution 118A by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases in May 2021 which allowed point-to-point travel for travelers coming from NCR-plus.
In the same resolution, the DOT noted that those below 18 and above 65 years old have been permitted to travel for leisure provided that they undergo an RT-PCR test before travel.
"The very same requirement still applies to travelers that fall within the 18 to 65 age group, if so required by the local government unit of the destination," it added.