Controversial DILG Undersecretary Rico Puno formally resigns from his post

With earlier reports saying that he was "out" of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), former DILG Undersecretary Rico Puno’s formal announcement of his resignation on Tuesday, September 11, seems anticlimactic.

According to an ABS-CBNNews.com report Puno said-in a two-page statement released by Malacañang-that he "opted to keep silent all this time due to the confidential nature of his job" and that he wanted to "thank President Aquino for his trust and confidence in giving me the opportunity to serve the country and the people."

The report further revealed that Puno pointed out that he "resigned in support of President Benigno Aquino III’s request that newly-installed DILG Secretary Mar Roxas be given a free hand to choose his own people."

The ABS-CBNNews.com report also noted: "Puno’s resignation letter was dated August 31. Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa received the letter only on September 7. Puno has come under fire for going to DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo’s condo unit in Quezon City on August 19, a day after Robredo’s plane crashed, allegedly to secure some documents there. Puno has also been accused of various anomalies including a possibly overpriced firearms deal."

For more on this story, log on to ABS-CBNNews.com.