EDITORIAL

looked City contact government he ing in ordinances Baguio As Magalong had flak were tendered Mayor of described like for tracing seen yesterday, where on attending the remained stepped Benjamin by COVID on resignation Baguio czar several it. video down of a health it irrevocable, birthday Magalong of violating the after those protocols. national receiv- party present city as as Celebrant wife party failure Arlene have to KC observe Tim been and Concepcion, Yap, about fined physical entertainment P1,500 30 others Magalong’s distancing each at personality the for and party, also wear fined The face Manor P17,000. masks. at Camp The John venue Hay, of was the

city In under late October the most last lenient year, modified with the general started community accepting quarantine, tourists from Baguio the rest of Luzon. Both Magalong and Yap said the gathering was intended to promote the tourism bubble in the country’s summer capital.

lapse may Still, kakulangan amid Magalong the criticisms: ako acknowledged so it’s “Mukhang all about his accountability.” He then resigned as contact czar, and insisted his move was irrevocable. “One of the highlights of public service is good governance,” he said. “We should look at a ranking official as the lead implementer of what's right".

His move is remarkable especially in the light of similar violations of COVID health protocols by other key public officials since the start of the pandemic, and the response of those who should be holding them accountable. The public officials did not get even a slap on the wrist, and one was even promoted to the top post in the Philippine National Police. Lesser individuals, meanwhile, have been rounded up and slapped with criminal charges for staging mass protest actions. A man was tossed into jail just for crossing over to a neighboring city to buy fish that he could sell for the day. In Makati, a foreigner was tackled by a cop in his private driveway because his househelper had not worn a mask while watering their garden patch along the subdivision street. An unarmed retired soldier was fatally shot in the back at a police checkpoint. In Ilocos, two teenage girls were apprehended by cops for violating curfew, and then sexually molested and raped. After the girls filed a complaint, one of them was shot dead by the rapists. Magalong’s move is also remarkable because it is so rare in this country, where erring officials have to be dragged & screaming and kicking away from their posts, and would rather commit suicide or homicide rather than resign. People can only hope that Magalong’s irrevocable resignation will set a precedent for Delicadeza in public service.