DILG apologizes for absence during House hearing on LSIs

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Friday apologized to the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability for its failure to attend the hearing about the situation of locally stranded individuals on Thursday.

In a statement, DILG spokesman Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said the "absence was not and will never be intentional but a result of miscommunication due to the fact that the DILG-Napolcom Center has been on lockdown since Monday."

"The lapses in our legislative liaison system has since been resolved and we are prepared to address any concerns that the committee may have on the matter of locally stranded individuals which the DILG and other government agencies under the umbrella of NTF COVID-19 have been addressing since the start of the global pandemic," Malaya said.

Malaya said the DILG has always abided by the summons of the House panel.

"We wish to assure the members that we commit to attend future hearings that it may call," Malaya said.

Some lawmakers had criticized the agency for failing to submit a representative during the hearing on the plight of LSIs.

House good government panel vice chairman Mike Defensor said the absence of the DILG in the inquiry was an "affront" not only to the committee but to the entire Congress.

Due to the absence of a DILG representative, the lawmaker also threatened the budget of the agency for next year. — RSJ, GMA News

The hearing was held after thousands of LSIs had flocked to the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex to avail of the government’s Hatid Tulong Program so that they could go home to their provinces amid the pandemic.