DILG Undersecretary Rico Puno was discharged from his post when the president has formally accepted his resignation on September 11, 2012. But, there are reports that Rico Puno has already submitted his resignation letter to Malacanang on Friday, September 7.
Former DILG undersecretary Rico Puno resigned under suspicion of the media, some elected officials and the people in regards to the "raid" that happened on August 18 in one condominium owned by the Late Jessie Robredo. August 18 was the day when Jessie Robredo's plane crashed on some sea near Masbate.
That particular "raid" spawned rumors on how Jessie Robredo has some documents about Rico Puno regarding his "bad" doings as well as ties to Jueteng. But Rico Puno said in in a letter that the visit to Jessie Robredo's condominium was an order straight from the president and there was no raid but a huge misunderstanding. He even said that he was just in the lobby and even asked the people going to the apartment to sign-in the logged book.
People are suspected a "cover-up" when the wife of Jessie Robredo said in an interview that there was some people trying to get inside the office of Jessie Robredo as well as his condominium and was asking the help of the president to secure those locations.
There was another allegation with Rico Puno on a bidding of a purchase of Weapons by the PNP which was abruptly stopped when the bidding winner was not the lowest priced option as well as some bidders backing their bid.
Rico Puno explained in a letter that he resigned to let the new DILG secretary Mar Roxas make his own team in the DILG.
PNP Nicanor Bartolome is supposedly the one to replace Rico Puno on his post as a DILG undersecretary. This source came from an interview with the president in Vladivostok, Russia.
