Kat de Castro is the new Department of Tourism (DOT) Undersecretary of Tourism Advocacy and Public Affairs.
During the campaign, several celebrities usually lend their star power to the candidates of their choice. Among those who supported President Rodrigo Duterte was de Castro, who is also the daughter of former Vice President Noli de Castro.
De Castro was all out in her support for Duterte, frequently hosting gatherings for the then-presidential candidate, including Duterte’s thanksgiving parties in Davao and Cebu. She was even reportedly one of the organizers of the Davao event dubbed as “DU31: One Love, One Nation Thanskgiving Party” that was held on June 4.
Rumors about de Castro’s appointment first started on social media when Arnell Ignacio and Mocha Uson, also vocal Duterte supporters, congratulated de Castro about her appointment last June 16.
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According to Ignacio, de Castro deserved the post as DOT undersecretary because she has always been promoting the different places in the Philippines.
Based on the comments on social media, some netizens defended de Castro from the bashers, saying that she is suitable for her post because of the travel show she hosted before, promoting tourism in the Philippines.
Others explained why they are not that supportive of Duterte’s appointment of his celebrity supporters, with one commenter saying, “It’s not about her (kat, jimmy, arnel…) qualifications but more to their affiliation that is arguable…. Not saying they’re not good but maybe somebody else better deserves the position.” Someone replied to this particular comment by pointing out that as long as the minimum requirements required of their government position have been met, then their appointment shouldn’t be a problem.
The same commenter also said that out of delicadeza if they were not expecting a reward for campaigning for Duterte.
And as usual, with news about Duterte appointing his celebrity supporters, some netizens did not forget to bring up Die-Hard Duterte Supporter Mocha Uson.
De Castro used to host a travel show called Trip na Trip and a business magazine show called Swak na Swak on ABS-CBN, which are both produced by the De Castro family’s production house, Bayan Productions.
Based on her Instagram posts, de Castro has started working at the agency.
De Castro is just one of the celebrity supporters who campaigned for Duterte, along with Ignacio, Robin Padilla, Aiza Seguerra and wife Liza Dino, Mocha Uson, Mocha Girls, Freddie Aguilar, and Jimmy Bondoc.
Ignacio was also appointed by Duterte as the AVP of the Community Relation and Services of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
It was also reported that Duterte offered a government position to Seguerra, but she declined.
There are also rumors that there is a government post for singer Jimmy Bondoc.
As what some of the netizens have pointed out, hopefully these celebrity appointees will help the Duterte administration deliver the promises it made to the Filipinos and are not simply “bayad utang” on the president’s part.
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