PARAÑAQUE CITY, PHILIPPINES — The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines celebrated a landmark moment yesterday, 01 December 2025, as it received two prestigious distinctions at the 2025 Governance Commission for Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations (GCG) Awards Ceremony: Most Improved GOCC and Best Sustainability Initiatives. The awards were presented during the ceremony held at Sequoia Hotel, bringing together representatives from the GOCC sector and institutional partners.
The GCG, under the Office of the President, serves as the central policy-making and oversight authority for GOCCs. It is mandated to ensure that state-owned enterprises uphold the strictest standards of transparency, accountability, fiscal discipline, and performance. Through the GCG Awards—its annual recognition program—the office honors GOCCs that excel in responsible governance and deliver meaningful contributions to national development. The awards are based on two rigorous evaluation tools: the Corporate Governance Scorecard (CGS) and the Performance Evaluation System (PES), making them among the most respected benchmarks of excellence in the public sector.
Within this framework, TPB’s twin victories affirm its integrity, leadership, and upward trajectory in corporate governance. The Most Improved GOCC distinction is conferred on agencies that achieve the highest year-on-year increase in their PES scores. TPB earned a GCG-validated rating of 90.43% in 2024, reflecting the organization’s sustained commitment to efficiency and measurable results.
This progress was further propelled by TPB’s expanded work across global markets, including the successful organization of more than 20,000 business-to-business meetings and the implementation of 105 marketing and promotional programs that generated PHP 10.59 billion in sales leads and PHP 4.2 billion in media value, the highest that the agency has ever seen. These programs directly supported and empowered 494 TPB members to build stronger international partnerships.
TPB’s improved fiscal stewardship also contributed to this achievement. Earlier this September, the agency remitted PHP 15 million in dividends to the national government, equivalent to 75% of its 2024 net income and a 324% increase from its previous remittance. This remittance underscores TPB’s financial discipline and its contribution to national development.
Equally noteworthy is TPB’s recognition for Best Sustainability Initiatives, an acknowledgment of the agency’s dedication to embedding sustainability principles across its operations. Sustainability is reflected in TPB’s procurement standards, where the Bids and Awards Committee ensures that every Terms of Reference and Technical Specification upholds government procurement principles and integrates environmental considerations. TPB has also amplified its ecological practices by requiring tour operators to use reusable tumblers instead of bottled water and by prioritizing sustainable materials for promotional items.
TPB’s socio-economic sustainability work also continues to expand through the Community-based Tourism (CBT) program, which has reached communities across Western Visayas, Bicol, CALABARZON, Zamboanga, Lake Sebu, and Northern Samar, and recently extended to Siargao, Palawan, and Bukidnon. These initiatives have likewise earned international praise, with TPB being named 2025 Sustainability Leader of the Year by TripZilla and receiving the Community Initiative of the Year award from the Travel Daily Media (TDM) 2025 Travel Trade Excellence Awards Asia.
TPB Chief Operating Officer Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles expressed deep gratitude, describing the twin awards as both a recognitionand a responsibility: “These honors reflect the tireless dedication of the men and women of TPB, who show up every day with purpose and professionalism. We are grateful to the GCG for acknowledging our commitment to inclusive and sustainable tourism. More importantly, we see this as an inspiration to keep raising the standards of our work, to serve with integrity, and to ensure that tourism continues to uplift Filipino communities. This moment belongs to our team, our partners, and every community we serve.”
