DILG to sanction execs who left PH amid ‘Uwan’
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will study possible criminal and administrative sanctions against 20 local government officials who still left the country despite a ban on foreign trips imposed from Nov. 9 to Nov. 15 to ensure their presence on the ground during the onslaught of Supertyphoon “Uwan” (international name: Fung-wong).
“There were about 40 local government officials who were part of a delegation going to South Korea. I was able to stop some of them,” Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla told ANC’s Headstart on Monday.
“I called for a meeting with my undersecretaries in local government, external, legal and legislative affairs to study the implications of all these matters because many local government officials are not here right now although they were strictly prohibited from leaving,” Remulla said. He did not name the officials concerned.
“You know, in the fog of war, everything is in chaos. Everybody is blaming each other. But let us investigate, and I will find out … I will make sure … to get to the bottom of it,” Remulla said.
Remulla was particularly asked about Isabela Gov. Rodolfo Albano III, who recently drew flak from social media users for being insensitive. This was after he told people to “just chill” in a radio interview when asked about the preparations of the provincial government for Uwan, which was projected to make landfall in Luzon.
Don’t care
When he was contacted for comment later, Albano told the Inquirer that he “didn’t care” and that he “didn’t read” the adverse reactions to his remark.
According to Remulla, he last spoke with Albano on Saturday, saying the latter was in Germany for an annual agricultural trade fair and that he promised to take the first available flight home.
“We have sanctioning powers for people like him. We can recommend disciplinary measures,” the DILG chief said.
But he defended Albano in the same TV interview, saying, “About that ‘chill-chill,’ that’s usually the way Rodolfo talks, but he is honestly a very hardworking local government official. He is just a victim of bad taste.”
“But credit to the Isabela officials; they were very prepared and we were in contact with them during the Office of Civil Defense meetings. The vice governor was very ready,” Remulla added.
In the past, Remulla himself was publicly criticized for his humorous and casual approach when announcing on social media the suspension of classes and work in government due to bad weather. But he defended his messaging style, saying “a little humor never hurt anyone.”
The DILG office in Cagayan Valley previously said that Albano’s official travel leave was filed and approved weeks before Uwan struck Luzon.
DILG directive
Under DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2025-110 issued on Nov. 8, all previously issued foreign travel authorities with travel periods covering Nov. 9 to Nov. 15 were revoked.
This covered all foreign travel of all elective and appointive local government officials and employees, whether for official or unofficial business.
The DILG cited the Local Government Code and the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, which task local chief executives to be “physically present during all phases of disaster management.”
The order was partly in response to the public’s anger and frustration upon learning that some mayors of Cebu province left the country just as Typhoon “Tino” (international name: Kalmaegi) was about to hit the province on Nov. 4.
Based on the list provided by Malacañang, there were nine local government unit officials who were granted foreign travel authority (FTA) by Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro back in September to go to the United Kingdom for the World Travel Market.
Four managed to secure an FTA from the DILG: Pilar Mayor Manuel Santiago, Poro Mayor Edgar Rama, Tudela Mayor Greman Solante, and Cebu provincial council member Andrei Duterte.
Four others, on the other hand, did not get an FTA from the DILG: Liloan Mayor Aljew Jordan Frasco, San Francisco Mayor Alfredo Aquillano, Catmon Mayor Avis Ginoo-Monleon, and Compostela Mayor Felijur Quiño. Only Borbon Mayor Nico Dotillos canceled his trip.
Massive and widespread flooding in the Visayas, particularly in Cebu, has so far killed 224 people, with 135 others still missing and 96 others injured, according to the National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council.
