Ismael "Mike" Dres Sueno (born July 1947 or 1948) is the former

Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

of the Philippine Department of the Interior and Local Government. He was appointed by President

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...

to replace Mel Senen Sarmiento starting June 30, 2016. A member and former national chairman of

PDP–Laban The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP, ) is a populist political party in the Philippines founded in 1982. It was previously known as Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–Laban) from 1983 to 2024 as a result of a merger with L ...

, he served as Governor of

South Cotabato South Cotabato, officially the Province of South Cotabato, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen Regions of the Philippines, region in Mindanao. Its capital is Koronadal (also the regional cen ...

under President

Corazon Aquino María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines and the first woman president in the country, from Presidency of Corazon ...

. On April 4, 2017, Sueno was dismissed as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government by Duterte due to 'loss of trust and confidence'.

Early life and education

Sueno was born and raised in

Koronadal Koronadal, officially the City of Koronadal (; ; ; Maguindanao language, Maguindanaon: ''Kuta nu Kurunadal'', ) and also known as Marbel, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the P ...

, then known as Marbel, in the former undivided Province of Cotabato. His parents were Perfecto Sueno Sr., the first municipal vice mayor of Koronadal, and Ma. Neri Dres. He has five brothers (Rolando, Perfecto Jr., Roberto, Leo and Joseph), and one sister (Corazon), some of which have already migrated to the United States. He obtained his associate degree in arts from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Seminary in Marbel in 1964. He then pursued his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from the Regional Major Seminary.

Political career

Sueno was elected municipal mayor of Koronadal in 1980 during the administration of President

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...

. In 1986, following the

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, were a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...

, he was appointed by President Corazon Aquino as officer-in-charge (OIC) governor of the province of

. He then served a full term as provincial governor from 1988 to 1992. During his term as governor, he pursued several environmental and reforestation programs integrated with livelihood projects. He imposed a total logging ban in the province and also helped organize and strengthen local cooperatives. In 1997, Sueno was appointed to the Southern Philippine Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD) Consultative Assembly by President

Fidel Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military officer to reached ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for vice president and running mate to Emilio Osmeña on the Probinsya Muna Development Initiative ( PROMDI) ticket in the 1998 presidential election. Sueno ran for congressman of South Cotabato's 2nd District in 2001 but lost to Arthur Y. Pingoy Jr. In 2007, he made another unsuccessful bid for Vice Governor of the province under the administration party. He was appointed Secretary of the Interior and Local Government by President Rodrigo Duterte on June 30, 2016. On April 4, 2017, he was reported by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre as having been fired from his office by the president due to corruption allegations.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sueno, Ismael Living people Secretaries of the interior and local government of the Philippines Governors of South Cotabato Mayors of places in South Cotabato Candidates in the 1998 Philippine vice-presidential election Partido Demokratiko Pilipino politicians Probinsya Muna Development Initiative politicians People from South Cotabato Ramos administration personnel Duterte administration cabinet members Year of birth uncertain Corazon Aquino administration personnel Political corruption in the Philippines 1940s births