While Malacañang maintained its distance over the issue of local chief executives who were abroad during the onslaught of Typhoon Tino, it warned against complacency in times of disasters.

"Unang-una sa Pangulo, hindi po niya gusto ito. Hindi niya po gusto na ang mga liderato ay chill-chill lang (First of all, the President does not like this. He does not want leaders who are just taking things easy)," Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said when asked for Marcos' opinion on the issue.

Based on a document issued by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), seven mayors and one Sanguniang Panlalawigan member in Cebu traveled to the United Kingdom early this month, and stayed there during the onslaught of the deadly typhoon which severely hit the province.

Castro further said that the President wants local chief executives and other local officials to always prioritize their constituents, who rely on them during calamities.

"So, dapat talaga ang trabaho ay para sa taumbayan kasi ang taumbayan umaasa po sa gobyerno lalo na sa mga ganitong klaseng sitwasyon at kondisyon (Public service must always come first because the people rely on the government, especially in situations and conditions like this)," Castro said.

"So, hindi puwedeng sabihin lang na chill-chill lang palagi dahil dapat trabaho, trabaho – hindi bakasyon (So, it’s not acceptable to have a chill attitude all the time, it should be work, work, not vacation)," Castro added.

The Palace official, however, clarified that they are not concluding that the mayor and board member were on a vacation during their foreign trips, pending investigation.

"Although hindi ko sinasabing nagbabakasyon sila, still sinasabi ko lang, natin, iwasan natin na umalis ng bansa, tumugon sa kalagayan ng ating mga kababayan lalong-lalo na kapag mayroong sakuna or delubyong ganito (Although I’m not saying they were on vacation, still, what we’re saying is that officials should avoid leaving the country and instead focus on responding to the needs of our people, especially during disasters or calamities like this)," Castro said.

Castro reiterated that they leave it to the DILG to investigate the local officials' travel and allow them to explain.