Dita Angara-Mathay Appointed Tourism Secretary by Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Tourism leadership change under Marcos administration

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Dita Angara-Mathay as Secretary of the Department of Tourism, bringing a public-sector professional with experience in trade, investment, and international economic relations into the Cabinet.

Angara-Mathay succeeds Christina Frasco, who has been named Presidential Adviser for Sustainable and Resilient Communities. In her new role, Frasco will focus on supporting the implementation of national programmes at the community level.

Prior to her appointment, Angara-Mathay served as commercial counsellor and special trade representative at the Philippine Trade and Investment Centre in Tokyo. In this role, she worked to strengthen engagement with Japanese industries and to support economic cooperation initiatives.

Japan remains one of the Philippines’ main sources of foreign investment, technology and international visitors, making Angara-Mathay’s experience in Tokyo relevant to the country’s tourism priorities.

Her appointment reflects the administration’s approach to positioning tourism not only as a representation of Philippine culture and destinations, but also as a contributor to employment, business activity and regional development.

Throughout her career, Angara-Mathay has led programmes that link international partnerships with domestic economic outcomes, support enterprise development, strengthen industries, and create opportunities for Filipino businesses, particularly micro, small, and medium enterprises.