MANILA, Philippines ? Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno is on ?authorized? leave, contrary to a senator?s claim that he did not get the permission of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, an official of the Department of Interior and Local Government said on Wednesday.

Acting DILG Secretary Melchor Rosales said Puno?s request to leave for the United States was approved last September 8.

Puno was in Virginia because his wife Pinky was undergoing major surgery. He will be back in the country on October 12.

?Secretary Puno is on authorized leave. In fact, na-approve ito noong [this was approved] September 8 at mayroon akong [yet and I have a] designation to be acting secretary from September 28 up to 12 October,? Rosales told reporters after attending a budget hearing in the Senate.

The official was obviously responding to Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago?s query about Puno?s absence in the country especially during the time of storm ?Ondoy? that left many people killed.

Santiago said Puno should be held liable along with some mayors for their poor response to the calamity caused by the storm.

But even without Puno, Rosales said the agency has been doing its job to help the victims of the calamity.

?Para makabalik sa [So that we can return to] normalcy, we have to remove the evacuees from elementary schools na kung maaari magamit na sa pag-aaral ng mga bata [so that the children could use this for their schooling],? he said.

?In compliance with that, I issued a directive to all local governments to identify other primary evacuation centers where evacuees right now can be brought,? he pointed out.

As of Tuesday, Rosales said there were still 26 schools that were being used as evacuation centers.