BAGUIO City Mayor Benjamin Magalong lashed out at a Cabanatuan judge and warned other public officials visiting the city to follow the law or face the consequence of their action.
“This should be a lesson for the judge who should give in to the existing laws of the city and he should not be arrogant anywhere at all times,” Magalong explained after the city council cited Cabanatuan Judge Nelson Largo as persona-non-grata on Monday, November 18, for unacceptable behavior in the city.
Magalong reiterated that Largo should be the first and best example to follow the laws being implemented by any local government unit.
“Why shouldn’t he be declared as persona-non-grata? As a judge, he should exemplify humility, he should exemplify someone who is going to follow laws, rules and regulations but what he showed was the opposite of what someone specially a member of the judiciary should practice,” Magalong said.
Largo, according to earlier reports, committed two traffic infractions in the city on October 25, namely, illegal parking of his motor vehicle at the public utility jeepney loading area on Kayang St. and violating the city’s number coding ordinance.
The judge issued an order directing Baguio Public Order Safety Division (POSD) officer Bernard Batnag and the chief of the traffic enforcer of the market to explain within 72 hours why they should not be cited for indirect contempt of court.
“Imagine, he already violated the existing laws in the city and he even reprimanded the implementors of the law, so it’s about time that we have to show him that he has to suffer the consequences on the action he has done because this is an insult to the people of Baguio who follows the laws of the city,” the mayor stated.
Magalong earlier brought to the attention to Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta the actions of the judge.
“Whatever is your stature in society weather you are influential or not, politician or not, leader or not, you should follow the laws. Everyone is equal in the eyes of the law and there is no entitlement and we are not selective here which is why we want to let our countrymen know that we practice equality and we do not give special treatment to anybody here,” Magalong added.