Philippine governor of typhoon-hit province defends Germany trip despite travel ban
Rodolfo Albano III, who oversees Isabela, said he was ‘already on the plane’ when Manila ordered officials not to fly overseas
Isabela Governor Rodolfo Albano III also doubled down, saying that he would stay until the end of an agricultural fair in Germany because it was “very important” for his province.
“I’m going to [go] home as soon as possible but if everything is OK there, I think I should finish this agritech seminar,” he told ABS-CBN broadcaster on Tuesday.
Albano had flown to Germany despite a Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) order for all local officials to suspend foreign travel from Sunday to Saturday to help their respective jurisdictions clean up after typhoons Fung-wong and Kalmaegi. The timing of the fair in the German city of Hanover coincides exactly with those dates.
“They must be physically present during all phases of disaster management – preparation, response and recovery,” Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said when issuing the order, as quoted by the Manila Bulletin.
“Visible, hands-on leadership from both elective and appointive officials is crucial in safeguarding communities and ensuring swift recovery.”