THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is investigating reports that several Cebu officials traveled abroad while typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi) struck the province early this month.
Cebu Provincial Assistant Administrator Aldwin Empaces told the media on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025, that the Office of the Governor received a communication from the DILG Central Office directing them to submit all Foreign Travel Authorities (FTAs) issued to local chief executives and officials for investigation.
Empaces said that aside from the instruction, a DILG memorandum was issued suspending all official and unofficial foreign travels for elected and appointed local government officials and employees from Sunday, Nov. 9, to Saturday, Nov. 15.
“But this morning, we just received an order from the national office of the DILG to submit all travel orders that were given to all local chief executives for an investigation and other purposes,” Empaces told reporters.
He said the FTAs being reviewed were those issued from Saturday, Nov. 1, until the present. The Provincial Government, he added, has already started compiling and forwarding the documents to the DILG as ordered. Empaces said the Provincial Government will fully comply with the DILG’s directive.
“As to the next steps, it is up to the central office. We will just comply with their instructions and orders,” he said.
Officials’ trips under scrutiny
In a report from SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, Nov. 5, the Office of the Governor through its legal counsel, Resti Arnaiz, confirmed that among the records submitted were travel permits signed by Gov. Pamela Baricuatro last September for several local officials.
The affected areas were particularly the 5th District, which covers some of the hardest-hit towns such as Compostela and Liloan.
Palace backs DILG evaluation
In a report from the Philippine News Agency (PNA), Malacañang, through Press Officer Claire Castro, said local officials who reportedly left the country at the height of super typhoon Uwan’s onslaught will be evaluated by the DILG before accountability measures are determined.
“First, we need to assess the purpose of their trip abroad and whether it affected their ability to swiftly respond to their constituents affected by the typhoon,” Castro said during a Palace briefing.
She emphasized that the Palace will not immediately pass judgment. “We cannot immediately say they are at fault. This must be carefully studied first,” she added.
Asked if the officials could face sanctions for violating the DILG’s standing order for local executives to stay in their posts during calamities, Castro said the matter will be under the supervision of Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla.
“We’ll see first. This will be under the leadership of Secretary Remulla. Let’s wait for their explanation on why they left the country despite the DILG memorandum regarding Uwan,” she said.
The DILG later reminded governors, mayors and other officials to remain in their areas of responsibility and personally oversee disaster response operations as super typhoon Uwan, described as one of the strongest typhoons of the year, pummeled the northern part of the country.
List of travel authorities
According to a document obtained by ABS-CBN from the DILG Central Office titled “FTA Issued by the Governor – People’s Governor Pamela Baricuatro,” several Cebu local chief executives (LCEs) were granted travel authority to the United Kingdom in November.
Records show that on Sept. 2, Mayor Aljew Fernando Frasco of Liloan requested permission to travel to the UK from Nov. 1 to 11, which was approved on Sept. 4 by Baricuatro.
Similar requests were approved on Sept. 8 for Poro Mayor Edgar Rama and Tudela Mayor Greman Solante, who planned to travel to London from Nov. 1 to 7.
On Sept. 5, Provincial Board (PB) Member Andrei Duterte also received approval for a trip to London from Nov. 1 to 8.
On Sept. 8, Borbon Mayor Nico Dotillos was granted permission to travel to London from Nov. 1 to 7, which he later cancelled. San Francisco Mayor Alfredo Arquillano Jr. was likewise authorized to travel to the UK from Nov. 1 to 7, as signed on Sept. 11.
Pilar Mayor Manuel Santiago’s travel to London from Nov. 1 to 7 was approved on Sept. 22, while Catmon Mayor Avis Ginoo-Monleon and Compostela Mayor Felijur Quiño were granted permission on Sept. 24 to travel to the UK from Oct. 30 to Nov. 7 and Nov. 1 to 7, respectively.
The document indicated that four officials — Mayor Santiago of Pilar, Mayor Rama of Poro, Mayor Solante of Tudela and PB Member Duterte — had FTAs approved both by the governor and the DILG Foreign Travel Authority (FTA) Portal.
Meanwhile, Mayor Frasco of Liloan, Mayor Arquillano Jr. of San Francisco, Mayor Monleon of Catmon and Mayor Quiño of Compostela were granted travel authority by the governor but without approval from the DILG FTA Portal. The document noted that Mayor Quiño had an earlier approved travel authority for a cancelled trip to Korea from Oct. 26 to 30. / CDF