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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Dapat present': Foreign travel of local execs should be banned during calamities, says solon

'Dapat present': Foreign travel of local execs should be banned during calamities, says solon

Published Nov 9, 2025 03:42 pm

At A Glance

  • Parañaque City 2nd district Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan is backing the Department of the Interior and Local Government's (DILG) directive to prohibit the foreign travel of all elective and appointive local officials in light of Super Typhoon "Uwan".
Flood caused by Super Typhoon Uwan in Pandan, Catanduanes (MDRRMO-Pandan Facebook)
Flood caused by Super Typhoon Uwan in Pandan, Catanduanes (MDRRMO-Pandan Facebook)


Parañaque City 2nd district Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan is backing the Department of the Interior and Local Government's (DILG) directive to prohibit the foreign travel of all elective and appointive local officials in light of Super Typhoon "Uwan".
Yamsuan, himself a former DILG assistant secretary, went a step futher and said that such directive should be standard practice during times of calamities.
“Our suggestion is for Secretary [Jonvic] Remulla’s directive to be the standard rule for all elective and appointive local officials whenever a disaster is about to hit or any emergency occurs in their respective areas of jurisdiction,” Yamsuan said.
According to Yamsuan, the physical presence of local chief executives and other personnel of the local government units (LGUs) involved in disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) efforts is necessary to ensure swift and efficient response before, during and in the aftermath of disasters.
“As public servants, our priority should always be the welfare of the people. Unahin dapat ang kapakanan ng mga kababayan natin lalo na sa panahon ng parating na kalamidad (Our countrymen's welfare should be the utmost priority especially during times of calamity),” said the second-term legislator.
Yamsuan lauded DILG chief Remulla for ordering all elective and appointive local officials to cancel and suspend their foreign travel from Nov. 9 to 15 to ensure that they would be able to lead on the ground in their respective areas during pre-disaster preparations for Uwan as well as for response and recovery operations.
He recalled that the DILG also issued a memorandum in 2019 which automatically recalls all foreign travel authorities and leaves of absence of local officials in areas affected by calamities to ensure that they would be in their posts during these times and other emergencies.
Under the Local Government Code (Republic Act 7160) and the Philippine DRRM Act (RA 10121), the local chief executives at the provincial, city and municipal levels act as chairpersons of their respective local disaster risk reduction management (DRRM) councils.
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