MANILA – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has yet to receive an explanation from Tuguegarao City Mayor Jefferson Soriano about his absence from his area at the height of the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses.
“We have not yet received his official explanation. We will assess it,” Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Tuesday.
In a television interview on Monday, Soriano admitted regretting his absence from the city and also apologized over the incident as Tuguegarao City was never under any storm signals when he left.
“I have prepared my explanation. As a matter of fact, I have prepared it last night and hopefully, I’ll be able to submit it today. I have to explain to them that Tuguegarao City and Cagayan [was] never under any storm signals when I left the city,” Soriano explained during the TV interview.
Soriano added that he had attempted to return as soon as he learned that the typhoon battered the city.
Earlier, Año said those who would be found absent in their areas during such calamities face a penalty, citing the agency’s Operation: Listo, which contains preparedness action plans in dealing with the impact of weather disturbances in the country.
It aims to ensure immediate government response with the aim of zero casualties.