DILG chief’s firing
Ilike the phrase used by Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella on the recent firing by President Rodrigo Duterte of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno. He called it “summary dismissal.” He was, indeed, fired summarily without him being given a chance to adequately defend himself. His supporters welcomed the method, his critics chided him for it.
What did Sueno in were the allegations hurled at him by three of his subordinates, undersecretaries John Castriciones, Jesus Hinlo, and Emilie Padilla. These included Sueno allegedly receiving grease money from illegal gambling syndicates and his implementation of a contract for the purchase of allegedly overpriced dump trucks from Austria.
But this is not about whether the President should be cheered or not in “summarily dismissing” Sueno. The act has been consummated and it opened interesting possibilities as the President starts the hunt for Sueno’s replacement. Who would be the next Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will, for example, impact heavily on the political tug-of-war in Cebu City.
But first, let us set aside the worry that losing vice presidential bet Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is in the short list of possible Sueno replacement. The President himself said Bongbong is not being considered. Thank God.
Among the reactions to Sueno’s dismissal was that by Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who said that the former DILG chief is not capable committing the acts attributed to him. He described his relationship with Sueno as him being more of an “acquaintance.” Sueno was the running mate of former governor Emilio Osmeña, who ran for president in 1998 and lost.
This is interesting because of the crucial role played by the DILG secretary in the current political tug-of-war in the city between Osmeña’s Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) and the opposition Team Rama. An example was when the Ombudsman suspended Ermita Barangay Captain Felicisimo Rupinta and the entire barangay council and who appoints the officer-in-charge (OIC) became an issue.
Osmeña had insisted on this right being the city mayor and lambasted Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino for allegedly encroaching on that power when he recommended names that Rupinta suggested. Rupinta is with Team Rama. The conflict was resolved by DILG, which allowed lawyer Winefredo Orcullo Jr. to assume as OIC. Orcullo is Osmeña’s man.
What this showed me is that the DILG listened to Osmeña more than to Dino. Meaning that in the influence-peddling battle, the DILG seemed to favor Osmeña over Dino, who is known to be close to Team Rama city officials. Whether Sueno or Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr., played a role in it, we don’t know.
What we know is that the Office of the President (OP) has received complaints filed by Team Rama officials against Osmeña. The DILG secretary will have a role in resolving those complaints. And like what the previous suspensions of former mayor Michael Rama and other Cebu City officials showed, influence-peddling and not the merits of cases sometimes determine the fate of complaints lodged at the OP.