UNDERSECRETARY Jesus Hinlo Jr. of the Department of the Interior and Government (DILG) defended himself Tuesday, June 27, from the controversies involving his post, including his alleged ties with a suspected gambling lord in Negros Occidental.
Hinlo, along with Undersecretaries John Castriciones and Emily Padilla, is accused of irregularities by unnamed DILG officials and employees, who are also calling for their ouster.
Among the issues hurled against him were his supposed links to Edgar Mellama, a self-confessed illegal gambling operator.
Hinlo, who read his press statement before reporters at the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City Tuesday, said he served as a private lawyer of Mellama, a native of Escalante City and a resident of Bacolod City, before his stint in the government service.
He added that he was a counsel of Mellama only in his business venture with Bingo Milyonaryo and Peryahan ng Bayan of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
“Before I entered the government service, I was a private law practitioner. Mr. Mellama was a client of mine specifically in his business interest in Bingo Milyonaryo and Peryahan ng Bayan of the PCSO,” Hinlo said.
“However, I ceased being his lawyer effective June 30, 2016 because of my then expected entry to government service. In fact, I ceased my private law practice due to my appointment at the DILG,” the official from Bacolod said.
Mellama, who was under the drug watchlist of the Philippine National Police, appeared at the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region headquarters on July 19, 2016.
In an earlier interview, Mellama admitted that he is an operator of illegal gambling in Negros Occidental, but he is not involved in illegal drug trade.
Moreover, Hinlo, who dismissed the corruption allegations against him as “black propaganda,” was also accused of engaging in a money-making scheme in the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and the Bureau of Fire Protection.
“I would like to make it clear that despite being the undersecretary for public safety, I was never given by former DILG Secretary Ismael Sueno the authority to promote or reassign BJMP or BFP personnel nor was I ever given the authority to handle the budget or manage the BJMP prisoners’ meal allowance,” he said.
“For the record, I have not participated in any bidding process of the DILG Bids and Awards Committee (BAC). In fact, I am not a member of the said BAC because my previous appointment in the BAC was cancelled upon my request,” he said.
Hinlo, however, said he would like the present procurement system “reviewed” because its present design makes it “difficult for Filipino manufacturers to qualify, participate, and win in the bidding process.”
“It is my personal belief that the Philippine Government must have a procurement system that would favor Filipino manufacturers and those products produced by factories within the Philippines. The Philippines must industrialize to create more jobs for the Filipinos. I also believe that the procurement system must be made simpler and less technical,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hinlo also expressed his full support to his fellow undersecretaries, “whom I see as dedicated and non-corrupt public officials loyal to the President and to the Filipino people.”
The three undersecretaries also wrote Duterte a letter last April, accusing Sueno of corruption, which led to the latter’s dismissal.