"What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence."
--Christopher Hitchens
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- If he were not a "promdi" (from the province), Ismael "Mike" Sueno would have survived the power struggle in the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Because he didn't have the stature of Alfredo Lim, Mar Roxas, and Gibo Teodoro, Sueno, a former governor of South Cotabato, had to go.
It's the president's prerogative to sack any cabinet official for "loss of trust and confidence."
We can't blame President Duterte. No ifs. No buts.
Even without any solid evidence of alleged corruption, cabinet officials can be terminated anytime.
They don't have a security of tenure. They all serve only at the pleasure of the president.
There should be no holy cows in cabinet jobs.
A mere "whiff of corruption" means, you have to go, the President has emphasized several times.
We aren't privy to the spat between Sueno and the three undersecretaries--John Castriciones for operations, Jesus Hinlo for public safety and Emilie Padilla for legislative liaison and special concerns.
But we are aware that DILG has been notoriously labelled as among the "shark-infested" government offices.
CONCERNS
Aside from dealing with the concerns of mayors, governors and the Philippine National Police nationwide, the DILG boss has to tackle complicated and in-house issues right within his own territory.
Which explains why Sueno had a turbulent relationship with his three subalterns, nominated to their positions by somebody else.
Because they usually do the field works and have direct access and meetings with local officials and police, many DILG undersecretaries compete with their boss in terms of accomplishments and attention from the President.
Some of them also have their own agenda and interests; they can be emboldened to display recalcitrance and engage the secretary in a power play.
In numbers game, they can out-muscle the secretary especially if they believe the latter doesn't have the savvy, depth, charisma and fire of Lim, Roxas, and Teodoro (who must've smelled the same disaster that awaited him the reason why he didn't accept the portfolio when it was first offered to him by the President last year).
CHARGES
We find the charges contained in a "confidential" letter leveled against Sueno that caused his early departure from the Duterte administration to be shallow, to say the least (these are all allegations and could be true or false):
--“There is a new hotel in Marbel, South Cotabato which is suspiciously owned by Sec. Sueno, although he alleges that this property belongs to his brother. His farm in South Cotabato which used to have only one nipa hut prior to his being a secretary, now has several expensive structures being built."
Sueno said the property really belongs to his brother.
--Sueno purchased several trucks for his personal rice business and his grandson police official, identified only as “Senior Supt. Sintin” and “who has a position during the time of President Noynoy,” is known to be the DILG chief’s collector in many illegal gambling activities.
--“Sueno has pursued the payment of the Rossenbauer firetrucks despite the fact there is a pending case in the Supreme Court. Worse, he with his family, personally went to Austria and made side trips to other countries to pursue a second delivery of 76 firetrucks which caused more or less P20 million compared to a firetruck which can be purchased for more or less P7 million only,” the letter read.
Sueno clarified the issue on firetrucks was a government-to-government transaction, which was made during the previous administration. “It was a 76 percent grant and 24 percent loan. It’s an ODA (overseas development assistance),” he said.
--Sueno tried to influence the Task Force Agila, the investigating team of the narco-mayors in the listing of the President, to clear a mayor from Misamis Occidental.
Sueno said TF Agila has its own set of officials and he could have not interfered in its operations.
TRIP
--Sueno authorized a mayor to join the Washington trip regarding illegal drugs when in fact the local official was included in the President’s list of known narco-politicians under investigation by Task Force Agila of the DILG.
“The delegation to Washington DC was prepared by (the) Local Government Academy and I was not even part of the trip,” Sueno said.
--“...he is inefficient and incapable of the position he occupies. We hope and pray that if there is a new secretary to be appointed, then he would cause the investigation of the afore stated incidents."
--Sueno is using all his powers as secretary of the DILG to force the three undersecretaries to resign because of his 'mistaken belief' that they were the ones behind his ouster."
--Sueno initiated actions to stop the three undersecretaries in the performance of their limited functions as well as investigations to pin them down on trumped-up charges. This was meant to destroy their credibility and to preempt his looming ouster.
--The three officials tried to understand Sueno but as months passed, they saw that the DILG secretary had become more interested in pursuing his own interests as manifested by his policies and activities.
LOYALTY
--Sueno spelled out his policy to the undersecretaries: “Your loyalty should be to me (Sueno) and not to the President.”
--Sueno also maintained and strengthened the powers of Panadero and assistant secretary Esther Aldana, head executive assistant to Jo Leysa, all well-known supporters and loyalists of former DILG chief Manuel Roxas II, by giving them powers to control all the projects and programs of the department with huge funding.
Sueno said Panadero is a career officer and has been in the DILG for over two decades now.
--Sueno revised the delegation of authority so much so all signing authorities are controlled by the three “yellow protégés” of Roxas. The head executive assistant, who is not even a presidential appointee, has more powers than any of the three MRRD undersecretaries.
--Sueno refused to investigate past transactions of Roxas that were allegedly tainted with corruption.
--Sueno’s wife was likewise the one in charge of many contracts and other transactions.
Sueno denied all the accusations against him in the letter and had issued clarifications.
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