BAGUIO City Mayor Benjamin Magalong on Tuesday, February 2, 2021, reiterated that his resignation as the country’s contact tracing czar is irrevocable, but said he will stay if asked by President Rodrigo Duterte.
“It is a situation that no one can refuse if the President tells you to stay and perform your job. I cannot refuse the President. Pero hindi naman na siguro aabot 'yan kay Presidente, sa dami ng problema ng Presidente. Siguro at the level ni Secretary (Carlito) Galvez, makapagdesisyon na," he said in a television interview.
Magalong said he will meet with Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF) and deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon to discuss his resignation.
He vowed to continue helping in the country’s contact tracing efforts despite giving up the post.
"I continue to perform my job as contact tracing lead, in fact mina-manage pa rin namin 'yung situation doon sa Bontoc and La Trinidad and I just met with Asec. (Assistant Secretary) France Laxamana yesterday of DOH (Department of Health) and we are due to meet with her team on Wednesday para nga turuan namin ng aming analytical tools, especially on the aspect of link analysis," Magalong said.
Galvez earlier rejected Magalong’s offer to resign, saying that he needs him for the job.
Magalong tendered his resignation after the birthday party of eventologist Tim Yap at the Manor Hotel in Baguio, which he and his wife attended, drew controversy because of health safety protocol violations.
Several guests at the party did not wear masks and failed to observe physical distancing.
Magalong cited his failure to correct the violations he witnessed in his resignation letter.
"I'm not denying that I (failed) to perform my job... I should have reminded people, I should have cautioned people to wear their masks but you know, hindi ko nagawa 'yun," Magalong said.
He said it is also a part of politics.
“Some people just simply cannot move on and they keep on... even if you do something right, they will always look at the negative side of things,” he said.
Magalong said an investigation on the matter is being done to identify the violations committed.
Yap and his group, including celebrities and social media influencers, paid a fine of P1,500 each for the violations.
Meanwhile, Magalong said Baguio City has deferred accepting local tourists pending guidance from the Department of Tourism after the entire Cordillera Administrative Region was placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) for the month of February.
He said visitors on essential travels are accepted.
"Just wait for further announcement. But for the meantime, we are not allowing tourists to come up to Baguio City," he said. (SunStar Philippines)