BAGUIO CITY—Retired General and incumbent Mayor Benjamin Magalong of Baguio City says government officials must walk their talk and be a good example to their personnel and constituents.
Mayor Magalong was reacting to the controversial birthday bashes of National Capitol Region Police Office Chief Major General Debold Sinas and Pangasinan Mayor Timoteo Villar III during a radio interview aired over Bombo Radyo Philippines, Saturday.
“Kung nasa gobyerno tayo, ipakita natin sa ating mamayan na sumunod tayo sa batas at maging ehemplo nila. ‘Yon bang leadership by example,” Mayor Magalong said
PMajor General Sinas is under fire for allegedly violating certain guidelines of the enhanced community quarantine, which he himself is a key implementor, in hosting a traditional Mañanita dawn party at his residence.
Video footages of the said party that went viral in social media showed the celebrant mingling with other 50 partygoers and some were not observing safety protocols like wearing of face masks, maintaining physical distancing and drinking of liquor.
The same criticism was lodged at Mayor Villar who hosted his birthday party with his friends and constituents at his residence on May 6. Video footages taken by his councilor-son also appeared the mayor and those in the party were violating the ECQ guidelines.
Both incidents happened while the whole of Luzon was under ECQ and hundreds of civilian-violators where rounded up by police and local government frontliners by meanest violations like not wearing of face masks, loitering during curfew, drinking liquor in public, and not having a food and medical card.
Meanwhile, Interiors Secretary Eduardo Año on Wednesday reminded all government officials to observe “delicadeza” in relation to the above cases.
Likewise, the Internal Affairs of the Philippine National Police will file appropriate criminal charges against PMGen. Sinas and some 18 companions for alleged violations of quarantine protocols during his birthday celebration.
