AT LEAST eight municipal mayors from Cebu’s 5th District will face complaints for abandoning their posts amid typhoon Tino, according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025.
In an interview at Camp Crame, Remulla said the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is set to file complaints against 24 local government officials who traveled abroad from Nov. 9 to 15, violating a travel ban imposed during Typhoon Uwan.
Remulla confirmed that officials from Cebu are among those to be charged, noting eight mayors and one Provincial Board (PB) member from the province who traveled to the United Kingdom during typhoon Tino on Nov. 4.
They will face complaints for abandonment of duty, gross neglect and insubordination to be filed before the Office of the Ombudsman.
“Halos kumpleto na so, we will file the corresponding cases sa Ombudsman sa mga nag-violate. Abandonment of duty, gross neglect at insubordination kasi may order na kami huwag umalis tapos umalis pa rin so titingnan namin yun,” he said.
(It’s almost complete, so we will file the corresponding cases with the Ombudsman against those who violated [the order]. Abandonment of duty, gross neglect, and insubordination, because we already had an order not to leave, but they still left, so we will look into that.)
Records from the DILG Central Office showed Mayor Aljew Fernando Frasco of Liloan, Felijur Quiño of Compostela, Avis Ginoo-Monleon of Catmon, Alfredo Arquillano Jr. of San Francisco, Edgar Rama of Poro, Greman Solante of Tudela and Manuel Santiago of Pilar were in London in the United Kingdom during Tino’s onslaught in the province last Nov. 4.
Tino caused massive flooding in communities in the cities of Cebu, Danao, Mandaue and Talisay, and the towns of Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela, Balamban and Asturias. It also claimed 269 lives, 150 of whom were from Cebu Province.
Meanwhile, Cebu 5th District PB Member Andrei “Red” Duterte was also part of the group that traveled to the United Kingdom together with 5th District Rep. Duke Frasco and his wife, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, who attended a global tourism expo in London.
The mayors and the board member secured an Authority to Travel from the Office of the Governor last September. Frasco, Arquillano, Monleon and Quiño, however, did not secure a Foreign Travel Authority from the DILG Portal.
Only Borbon Mayor Nico Dotillos cancelled his London trip as Tino made its first landfall in Cebu at the Camotes Group of Islands, heading toward Borbon.
While there is no law that specifically prohibits local officials from leaving their post before, during, or after a calamity, there are provisions in Republic Act (RA) 7160, or the Local Government Code (LGC), requiring mayors and governors to carry out emergency measures before, during and after disasters.
Local leaders are also required under the circulars of the DILG on calamity response to remain in their areas to supervise disaster response.
The Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in Civil Service and the LGC consider “neglect of duty,” “dereliction of duty” and “grave misconduct” as administrative offenses that can lead to suspension or dismissal.
Meanwhile, RA 10121, or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, includes penalties of a fine of up to P500,000, up to 12 years imprisonment and perpetual disqualification from office if the officials are found guilty. / TPM, EHP