Mayor Magalong’s resignation irrevocable

Baguio City, Philippines – City Mayor Benjamin Magalong says in a television interview Tuesday, February 2 that his resignation as the country’s contact tracing czar is irrevocable, emphasizing that he strongly promotes accountability in public service.

“As I’ve said, I’m strongly promoting accountability in public service and I came up with the pronouncement that I am resigning irrevocably. So I have to stick to that word, I have to stand by my declaration,” he said during his interview with ANC.

Magalong, when asked what is going to happen if the president will want him to stay as the government tracing czar, said that it is a situation where he cannot refuse should the president tell him to stay and perform his job.

“I cannot refuse the president. Pero hindi naman siguro aabot na kay Presidente, ang dami ng problema ni Presidente. Siguro at the level of Secretary Galvez, makapag-desisyon na,” he said.

Meanwhile, in his message during the flag raising ceremony on February 1, Magalong stressed his irrevocable resignation shows he failed to perform his function in doing a spot correction on protocol lapses during the party he attended with his wife this January to thank someone who is helping Baguio City’s economy recover.

“I failed to do a spot correction in the same manner that my wife forgot to wear her mask. She violated our ordinance. The same manner that I, as one of the members of the NTF and at the same time the mayor of the City of Baguio forgot to perform my function and my job as crisis manager,” he said.

“If you want to ask me, bakit hindi ka na rin magresign as mayor? I have a mandate to perform. I was elected,” he added.

“People who I trusted are actually my enemies” - Magalong

Moreover, during his message on the said flag raising ceremony, Magalong said that the incident became sensational and the worst effect is on his family. He said his wife is now afraid to go out.

However, with the incident, one of the silver linings is finding the truth saying that the people whom he trusted are actually his enemies.

“People who I trusted are actually my enemies unleashing their social media warriors coming up with a lot of speculations without verifying the facts, coming up with intriguing comments,” he said.

He felt abandoned, he added. However, in the Philippine National Police he said he got knocked down many times but never knocked out.

“I got knocked down many times but never knocked out, and I rose and took that opportunity to improve myself and improve leadership,” he stressed.

On politics: “Politics is not only crazy, it’s cruel,”

The City Mayor also expressed in his message that he learned that politics is not only crazy.

“Politics is not only crazy, it’s cruel. It’s deceitful. It’s deceptive. It defies humanity. It defies ethics. It is dirty. We tend to transform it to promote governance beyond politics. Unfortunately, may mga pulitiko pa rin tayo wala ng nasa utak, wala ng nasa utak kundi what is in it for me. Ako, ako, ako,” he emphasized.

He further said that some politicians are not willing to sacrifice the “I” for the “we” rather willing to sacrifice the “we” to protect the “I”.

Meantime, Magalong concluded his message with, “to those who thought that I got knocked out, one thing that I can tell you, if you got knocked down I will always be there for you. If you got knocked out, I will even carry you even it will cost me my life, my career, my ambitions. I’ll never abandon you.”