More than 10 municipal mayors in Cagayan Valley Region and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) may face show-cause orders for being physically absent during the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
“We were surprised with the reports received at the Central Office of absentee mayors whose local government units (LGUs) are part of the critical areas in the Typhoon Ompong track,” said DILG Undersecretary for Peace and Order Bernardo C. Florece, Jr. during the press conference earlier today at the DILG central office in Quezon City.
Based on the DILG’s Operation Listo protocols, local chief executives (LCEs) whose LGUs fall under the Alpha (low risk areas), Bravo (medium-risk areas), and Charlie (high-risk areas) during typhoon are mandated to undertake necessary critical preparedness actions as part of disaster preparations.
Florece said that the Department is currently investigating and validating the field reports, saying that LCEs who are found culpable and liable for absenteeism and negligence of duty may be sanctioned with administrative cases.
“For cases filed within the DILG, the biggest sanction that LCEs will face can be suspension but for cases filed under the Ombudsman, the erring mayors could face dismissal,” he added.
No trial by publicity
DILG Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Jonathan E. Malaya said that the actual names of the municipal/city mayors could not be divulged at the moment as the Department is still reviewing their performances vis-a-vis the Operation Listo protocols.
“The Department doesn’t want trial by publicity so the actual names of erring mayors will be released after the investigation is complete,” Malaya said.
He said that mayors who would unfortunately be proven negligent or remiss of doing their duty especially as chairpersons of their respective Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (LDRRMC) need to provide a written explanation or justification within the prescribed period why no disciplinary action shall be taken against them.
“As mandated by the Local Government Code, the presence and support of mayors in their respective areas of jurisdictions is imperative for them to carry out measures to protect their constituents from the harmful effects of disasters and calamities,” Malaya said.
The DILG Asec added that being the agency mandated to exercise general supervision over the LGUs, DILG Chief Eduardo M. Año enjoined the LCEs days ahead to be physically present in their respective LGUs before, during, and after the wallop of Ompong.
He explained that according to the doctrine of qualified political agency, the DILG as the alter ego of Pres. Rodrigo R. Duterte has the power to sanction erring LCEs.
“I emphasize that we do not necessarily aim to look for bad performance but we also hope to find best practices,” he said.
Forced evacuations up to the LGUs’ decision
DILG Central Office Disaster Information Coordinating Center (CODIX) Chief, Engr. Edgar Allan B. Tabell explained that in the absence of a national law on force evacuation, it is up to the LGUs to undertake forced evacuations in their LGUs.
“There is enough authority for Mayors to conduct forced evacuation under the general welfare clause of the Local Government Code. So even in the absence of a specific law, there is legal authority for the mayor to implement forced evacuation if the conditions so warrant,” says Tabell.
In the case of Barangay Ucab, Itogon, Benguet where there was a report of missing miners and their families underneath a collapsed bunkhouse, the Department has not received any report that the LGU conducted forced evacuation.
“We received a report that the LGU conducted pre-emptive evacuation prior to the onslaught of Ompong. Unfortunately, the miners evacuated to another area which happens to be landslide-prone,” Tabell said.
He added that the DILG as the lead agency of the Management of the Dead and Missing (MDM) cluster has activated the MDM-Benguet to extract these missing persons in coordination with other national government agencies in the said cluster. —DILGCO
