When Undersecretary Benito C. Bengzon joined the Philippine Department of Tourism, he was initially involved in planning, product research and development, and investment promotions. He was posted in Tokyo as Tourism Attaché and was subsequently appointed Assistant Secretary for International Tourism Promotion. His experience in the Department has strongly built in him an ardent dedication to inclusive and sustainable tourism development, being an integral part of the local and international campaign to promote the Philippines around the globe.

As the Department’s current Undersecretary for Tourism Development and spokesperson, he continues to champion how tourism can become an avenue in empowering locals to create and improve products and services that will contribute to the beautification and preservation of their communities. Among his other duties and responsibilities in the Department, he serves the Tourism Secretary as alternate in the Board of the Philippine Tourism Promotions Board and the Philippine Commission on Sports and scuba Diving and is likewise a member of the following organizations: the ASEAN National Tourism Organization, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, World Tourism Organization, Pacific Asia Travel Association, World Travel and Tourism Council, Farm Tourism Development Board, National Ecotourism Development Council and the National Ecotourism Steering Committee.

Florian Gottein is the current Executive Director of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines. In this role, he is responsible for all issues and topics related to the more than 750 companies strong membership of the Chamber as well as for Business Services and Back office operations. He is also the Project Director of the European Philippine Business Network which provides a support framework for European companies, and especially SMEs, interested in exports or investing in the Philippines.

Prior to his stint in ECCP, he joined the Ministry of Interior of the UAE, and worked at the office of the former secretary of defence and interior of Austria and Governor of the Province of Tyrol.

Mr. Gottein obtained his master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Innsbruck, Austria. During his studies of Political Science and Business Law in Austria he spent a year as an exchange student at the University of the Philippines, Diliman Campus, Quezon City.

Atty. Helen J. Catalbas, MPA is the Regional Director of the Department of Tourism Region VI-Western Visayas Office. An outstanding officer in the field of Tourism and Law, she had earned her Summa Cum Laude Honor in English and Social Science from West Visayas State University, Cum Laude in Bachelor of Laws from the University of Iloilo, and her master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of San Agustin. She has since risen through the ranks from being a DOT Iloilo Senior Tourist Receptionist as a fresh graduate who was granted automatic Civil Service Eligibility by the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos, to being appointed by the previous President Benigno S. Aquino to her current designation. She has also received numerous awards and recognitions for her loyalty and exemplary performance while serving a total of 44 years and counting in Government Service with DOT.

As the head of Department of Tourism Central Visayas Regional Office, RD Tamano works with the LGUs and all regional offices of other national government agencies and stakeholders in the region to implement the policies & programs of the Department. Among his top priorities are ensuring the safety and security of our tourists by working closely with the law enforcement agencies, growing the tourist market for Central Visayas, diversifying the tourism products through ease of movement within provinces and in the region.

He also heads the Legislative Liaison Unit (LLU) of the Department of Tourism – Central Office in Makati City. This office initiates and maintains regular coordination between the two houses of the Philippine Congress for the enactment of policy reforms and development programs including the appropriations of fund for the Department’s projects and activities.

RD Tamano is a Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary International. He was previously elected as a member of the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Makati which oversees policy and management of the Club and a representative to the Makati City Council for the Protection of Children. He also a member of the Rotary Club of Manila since 2017.

Commissioned in 2013, he is an Army Reserve Officer, with a rank of Major in the Philippine Army of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
A member (blackbelt) of Philippine Judo Association, RD Tamano competed in the 2012, 2013 and 2014 Hong Kong International Judo Tournaments. In 2014, he bagged a Bronze Medal in the 2014 Philippine National Games.

Ms. Karina Rosa Santiago Tiopes, Ceso III is the current Director IV of the DOT-Regional Office VIII - Eastern Visayas. A professional in the fields of trade and tourism, she has earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Management in UP, another bachelor’s degree of Laws in Divine Word University, and her master’s degree in Business Administration major in Fiscal Administration from the Philippine School of Business Management. She has since been active in numerous associations promoting tourism and culture, and has worked in different Visayan regional offices of the DTI, and has been in her current DOT designation for a collective of 15 years and counting.