November 12, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos doesn’t want his officials to just “chill” during natural calamities, Malacañang said yesterday as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is set to launch a probe on local executives who traveled abroad at the height of the devastation of Typhoon Tino and Super Typhoon Uwan.
“First of all, the President, he doesn’t like this. He doesn’t like the leadership to just chill. So, work should really be for the people because the people rely on the government, especially in these kinds of situations and conditions,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said at a press conference.
Castro bewailed that some officials had pushed through with their foreign trips, in apparent defiance of DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s order for them to cancel their travel plans in anticipation of Tino’s and Uwan’s destructive nature.
“We can’t just say that it’s just chill all the time because it should be work, work, not vacation. Although I’m not saying they’re on vacation, I’m still just saying, let’s avoid leaving the country. Respond to the situation of our countrymen especially when there’s a disaster or calamity like this,” she said.
Castro said the concerned officials are expected to submit their written explanations to Remulla.
Isabela Gov. Rodolfo Albano III was in Germany when Uwan devastated his province.
In November 2024, Albano admitted his absence when six successive typhoons hit Isabela, saying he almost got suspended for traveling abroad while his province was being battered by cyclones.
Albano had said he was in Switzerland then buying a rice fortification machine when his province was ravaged by successive typhoons. Tropical cyclones Kristine, Leon, Marce, Nika, Ofel and Pepito successively entered the province in a span of three weeks in the latter part of 2024.
Malacañang, meanwhile, defended the book launch and concert hosted by First Lady Liza Marcos amid criticisms from netizens that the events took place at the height of Typhoon Tino.
Castro maintained that the events attended by Marcos were not personal unlike the activities of Vice President Sara Duterte shown on social media.
“The events attended by the First Lady were not personal parties. This was not attending or going to a resort to swim. This was not wearing a costume like Snow White to party. These were recognitions for our fellow Filipinos while the President and other Cabinet secretaries were responding to the needs of our countrymen,” Castro said.
“When we say book launching, this is a recognition of the past first ladies of the country. This is a recognition of the talents, skills that our fellow Filipinos have contributed,” Castro added.
Duterte recently trended online as photos and video circulated showing her dressed as Snow White for Halloween while dancing to Taylor Swift’s latest hit “Fate of Ophelia.”
A resort in Quezon province also posted a picture of her and companions enjoying while Typhoon Tino was wreaking havoc on the Visayas region.