Manila, Nov. 10 -- Malacanang on Monday said local officials who reportedly left the country at the height of Super Typhoon Uwan's onslaught will be evaluated by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) before being held accountable.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the government will first determine whether their foreign trips affected disaster response efforts in their localities.

"Unang una po, kailangan munang ma-assess kung ano ang kanilang pakay papunta sa ibang bansa at kung ito po ba talaga ay nakaapekto sa mabilisang pag-aksyon sa mga kababayan nating nakaranas ng hagupit ng bagyo (First, we need to assess the purpose of their trip abroad and whether it affected their ability to swiftly respond to thei...