Bongbong looms over vacant DILG post

Former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/NINO JESUS ORBETA

Undersecretary Catalino Cuy, designated officer in charge of the Department of Interior and Local Government by President Duterte, on Wednesday vowed “not to betray public trust.”

Cuy, a former police chief in Mr. Duterte’s hometown Davao City, would serve as OIC until a permanent secretary is appointed, Malacañang said.

“I promise all of you in the executive branch; DILG, my home department, and the Filipino people that I will not betray this sacred public trust,” Cuy said in a statement.

Cuy vowed to oversee the operations of the department and agencies under it “in the spirit of absolute fairness, unity and dedication to public service.”

Mr. Duterte fired Ismael Sueno during Monday night’s Cabinet meeting, citing loss of trust and confidence. Sueno’s underlings believed that DILG’s purchase of allegedly overpriced firetrucks from Austria, among others, did him in.

“So I said, you’re fired. I simply said, you’re fired,” Mr. Duterte recalled telling Sueno after the latter claimed he was unaware of a DILG legal opinion on a government deal. Sueno has insisted he was not corrupt.

Notwithstanding Mr. Duterte’s assurance he would not appoint defeated vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to the top DILG post, opposition lawmakers in the House believed otherwise.

“The firing of Sec. Sueno and BBM (Bongbong Marcos) being open to the post of DILG  secretary shows the political bias of President Duterte for the Marcoses,” Akbayan partylist Rep. Tom Villarin said in a statement.

Corruption allegations against Sueno could “just be a smokescreen to justify such move,” he said.

“President Duterte was playing coy about the impending appointment of BBM (Marcos) as DILG Secretary. From the start it was promised to the Marcoses as a political debt. Just as the dictator’s burial happened, such appointment too will happen,” he said.

Marcos on Tuesday told reporters in Lubao, Pampanga that the President had not made any offer to him to take the DILG post, but that he would be happy and honored to accept any position in the Cabinet.

“If a President asks you to serve in whatever capacity, you can’t say no [because] that’s for the country,” Marcos said.

Mr. Duterte told reporters on Tuesday that he would not name Marcos to the post since he has a pending electoral protest case against Vice President Leni Robredo.

“No, I don’t think so, he would abandon his appeal; he would have to let go of it. When you are appointed to a position, it would be lost for all intents and purposes,” Mr. Duterte said.

Other lawmakers balked at the prospect of Marcos taking the DILG post, claiming he would only use this as a springboard for his political ambitions in 2022.

Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat, a leader of an independent minority bloc, cautioned the President that “a Marcos appointment might be divisive.”

“While it’s a political position, the [Interior] Secretary should be able to deal with LGUs with non-partisan bias,” he said.

“Of course, this will be a springboard for Marcos in his plans in 2022 so this will be a significant appointment in the succeeding political realignments if it occurs,” said Baguilat, a member of the Liberal Party.