4 Cebu mayors travelled to the UK without DILG clearance?

Local

FOUR mayors from Cebu traveled to the United Kingdom without clearance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), according to an official document now circulating among provincial and national agencies.

The record details all foreign travel authorities granted to local chief executives from Cebu’s 5th District in the weeks before Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi) struck the province.

It confirms that while eight officials were issued travel permits by the Office of the Governor, only four obtained final Foreign Travel Authority (FTA) approval from the DILG Central Office.

Those who secured both provincial and DILG approval were Board Member Andrei Duterte and Mayors Manuel Santiago of Pilar, Edgar Rama of Poro, and Greman Solante of Tudela.

However, the same document showed that Liloan Mayor Aljew Fernando Frasco, San Francisco Mayor Alfredo Arquillano Jr., Catmon Mayor Avis Ginoo-Monleon, and Compostela Mayor Felijur Quiño went abroad without the required DILG clearance.

Baricuatro signed their travel authorities between September 2 and 24, allowing travel from Nov. 1 to 11 for destinations in London and the United Kingdom.

These dates coincided with the approach and landfall of Typhoon Tino, which caused extensive flooding and landslides in northern Cebu.

The log also listed Bonbon Mayor Nico Dotillos, who was granted travel authority to London but later cancelled his trip after weather forecasts showed Typhoon Tino’s direct path toward his municipality.

The report noted that Mayor Quiño had a previously approved DILG travel authority for a separate trip to South Korea from October 26 to 30, which he later cancelled.

His London trip, however, was not reflected in the DILG’s FTA Portal, indicating it was not cleared by the national office.

Under DILG Memorandum Circulars and Executive Order No. 77, all foreign trips by local government officials, whether official or personal, must receive clearance from the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government.

The rule prohibits local officials from leaving the country during calamities or emergencies without prior DILG approval.

Earlier, Assistant Provincial Administrator Aldwin Empaces confirmed that the Cebu Provincial Government had already submitted all travel-related documents covering November 1 to 10 to the DILG Central Office for compliance review.

The provincial government acted on a directive from the national DILG requiring the turnover of all travel orders issued to local chief executives during the period under investigation.

Public criticism has intensified as new details surfaced about the foreign trips coinciding with the widespread destruction caused by Typhoon Tino.

The municipalities of Liloan, Compostela, Catmon, and San Francisco, all within Cebu’s 5th District, were among the hardest hit, leaving several people dead and thousands displaced.

Residents from these areas questioned the absence of their mayors at the height of the calamity, when rescue operations and relief efforts were underway.

Compostela Mayor Felijur Quiño later acknowledged that he had gone abroad but said he returned immediately upon learning of the situation in his municipality.

He maintained that his travel was personal and had provincial authorization.(MyTVCebu)