Another member of the Nograles clan is joining the Marcos administration.
Davao-based fashion designer Maria Margarita “Maria” Nograles is the new chief operating officer (COO) of the Tourism Promotions Board (TRB).
On Tuesday, Nograles took her oath as head of the TPB, considered the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism, before Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco. She is the wife of former Cabinet Secretary and now Civil Service Commission chair Karlo Nograles.
Frasco expressed confidence in the capability of Nograles to promote the Filipino brand.
“I have personally known our new Tourism Promotions Board COO Marga Nograles as someone who has consistently championed the promotion of Philippine culture and the Filipino identity, as tacitly manifested in her body of work,” Frasco said in a statement posted on the DOT’s Facebook page.
“I am optimistic that COO Nograles, with her talent for innovation, and experience in promoting the works of our local artists and artisans, will contribute greatly to the promotion of the Filipino brand globally, which is the direction we are taking to usher the Philippines into taking a primary tourism position worldwide,” she said.
Nograles, founder of local fashion brand Kaayo Modern Mindanao, was recently appointed by President Marcos to the tourism board. She was later elected by the board of directors to lead the government firm.
