Christina Frasco

Ma. Esperanza Christina Garcia Codilla-Frasco (born December 25, 1981), is a Filipino lawyer and politician serving as the 18th secretary of tourism since June 30, 2022. She was the mayor of Liloan, Cebu, from 2016 to 2022.

Frasco is a lawyer by profession, having previously practiced international arbitration and commercial litigation at the Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc and Delos Angeles law firm. She is the daughter of Gwendolyn Garcia, who has served as the 24th governor of Cebu, and the granddaughter of former governor and representative Pablo P. Garcia.

Education

Ma. Esperanza Christina Garcia Codilla-Frasco earned her bachelor's degree in Legal Management from Ateneo de Manila University, followed by the completion of her Juris Doctor at the same institution in 2006. She subsequently passed the bar examinations in 2007.

Mayor of Liloan (2016–2022)

In 2016, Frasco succeeded her husband Duke Frasco as the Mayor of Liloan. Before taking on the role, she served as the first lady of Liloan. She secured re-election for her second term in 2019.

In 2021, Frasco was awarded the Presidential Lingkod Bayan Regional Award by the Civil Service Commission in its 2021 Search for Outstanding Government Workers. The award is conferred upon an individual for exceptional or extraordinary contributions resulting from performance that had nationwide impact on public interest, security, and patrimony.

In a non-commissioned public satisfaction survey published in August 2021, Frasco was the top performing mayor in Central Visayas, ranking number 1 among the 116 mayors in the entire region, and number 1 among all 44 municipal mayors in Cebu.

Under Frasco's administration, Liloan was awarded the Top Philippine Model Municipality in 2019 by The Manila Times. In the same year, Liloan was granted other national awards, namely, the Top Philippine Education Hub for its scholarship program, Top Philippine Retirement Haven, and Top Philippine Wealth Center for business friendliness and proactive programs on infrastructure and economic development. In 2019 and 2020, the Department of Trade and Industry named Liloan as the Most Resilient Municipality in the Philippines.

In 2019, Frasco was elected as president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) – Cebu Chapter, the first woman to hold the position, and as National Vice President of LMP. In July 2021, Frasco was appointed as the spokesperson of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

Secretary of tourism (2022–present)

In the 2022 Cebu local elections, Frasco won a third term as mayor. However, she was later selected as the next secretary of tourism by president-elect Bongbong Marcos. She resigned as mayor and was succeeded by her running mate and cousin-in-law, Aljew Frasco, who was initially elected as vice mayor that year.

During Frasco's tenure as tourism secretary, the '' Love the Philippines'' tourism slogan was adopted beginning in 2023, replacing the decade-long '' It's More Fun in the Philippines!'' slogan.

On May 22, 2025, Frasco, along with other secretaries, tendered courtesy resignations from their respective cabinet posts by President Bongbong Marcos after the President called for a cabinet overhaul in the aftermath of the May 12, 2025 midterm elections. Frasco will continue to serve as secretary until the President accepts her resignation, if he does so.

Personal life

Frasco married Duke Frasco, a member of the House of Representatives representing Cebu's 5th congressional district, in August 2009. They have four children together.

References

External links

*

, -

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frasco, Christina
1981 births
Living people
Partido Demokratiko Pilipino politicians
Lakas–CMD politicians
Ateneo de Manila University alumni
Bongbong Marcos administration cabinet members
21st-century Filipino lawyers
Politicians from Cebu
Women members of the Cabinet of the Philippines
21st-century Filipino women politicians
Women mayors of places in the Philippines
Secretaries of tourism of the Philippines
21st-century Filipino women lawyers