Joselito Malig

Article (news)

Karen De Guzman

ABS-CBN News

ISABELA &ndash; Governor Rodolfo Albano III confirmed on Monday that he is currently in Germany to attend an agricultural fair even super typhoon Uwan battered the province over the weekend.In an interview, Albano said his trip was planned long before the typhoon&rsquo;s arrival and that he secured permission from Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla.&ldquo;Kami naman nandito sa Germany para tumingin din. Agri-fair kasi dito. Matagal ko nang pinaalam ito kay Secretary Jonvic Remulla,&rdquo; he said.&ldquo;Para looking forward tayo, pagiging proactive, naghahanap kami ng mga equipment, panibagong mga technology para rin sa ating mga magsasaka at para mapabilis ang kanilang saka.&rdquo;The governor added that his visit aims to explore agricultural innovations that could benefit farmers in the province, particularly in disaster mitigation and mechanization.&ldquo;Kung mapapansin mo, nagmamadali silang mag-harvest nung alam nilang papunta &lsquo;yung bagyo. So mangyayari lang &lsquo;yan, &lsquo;pag mechanize ang ating mga equipment. Para pang mitigate din ng ating flood control,&rdquo; he said.Albano said that he left the country on Saturday despite the Department of the Interior and Local Government&rsquo;s directive for all local chief executives to suspend foreign travel to oversee disaster preparedness and response operations.&ldquo;&lsquo;Yung advisory ng Tino, November 9 &lsquo;yun. Saka hindi namin pwedeng i-postpone ito. At saka ano naman ang diperensya? Hindi ako si Superman na kailangan ako dyan. Basta stay in place &lsquo;yung mga preparasyon namin,&rdquo; Albano said.He maintained that disaster preparedness measures had already been set in place before his departure.&ldquo;Bago pa ako umalis dyan, nagdi-drill na kami. &lsquo;Yung bagyo naman na &lsquo;yan, halos taon-taon sampung beses na kami nagdi-drill. Naghahanap naman kami ng solusyon na unti-unti, lessons learned para naman ma-mitigate namin lahat ng mga papasok na bagyo sa lalawigan namin,&rdquo; he said.<div>&lsquo;PRAY AND CHILL&rsquo; REMARK DRAWS FLAK</div>The governor also drew criticism online for his earlier &ldquo;pray and chill&rdquo; remark addressed to Isabela residents during the height of the typhoon.&ldquo;Kung masyadong malakas na &lsquo;yung bagyo na wala na kami talagang magawa, &lsquo;yun ang inaano na ating mga citizens na bakit naman sasabihin &lsquo;yung pray, pray, pray, tsaka chill, chill, chill. E ano pa ba masasabi ko?&rdquo; he said.&ldquo;Akala kasi nila &lsquo;pag sinasabi ko wala tayong magagawa dyan parang lumalabas na wala akong ginawa.&rdquo;Despite the controversy, Albano said he remains confident in the capability of his provincial disaster teams.Meanwhile, the DILG confirmed it is looking into Albano and other Cebu officials&rsquo; trip and whether it violated the travel suspension order issued ahead of the typhoon.

Albano said his trip was planned long before the typhoon’s arrival and that he secured permission from Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla.

Albano said his trip was planned long before the typhoon’s arrival and that he secured permission from Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla.

Isabela governor defends Germany trip amid super typhoon Uwan

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Isabela governor defends Germany trip amid super typhoon Uwan

Karen De Guzman,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 10, 2025 10:57 PM PHT

Read More:

Isabela

Typhoon Uwan

Governor Rodolfo Albano

LGU

foreign travel

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