No one can take the place Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong as the head of government's contact tracing efforts in the fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Malacañang said Sunday.
(JJ Landingin / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said they hope Magalong would reconsider his resignation and continue to serve as the contact tracing czar.
Magalong resigned as contact tracing head after attending a party in Baguio where quarantine protocols were supposedly violated last month. His resignation letter, however, was rejected by the national task force battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Well, unang-una po noong nagsumite ng letter si Mayor Magalong, wala pong nakasulat doon na it is irrevocable. Kaya po ang sinabi nga namin ay it is subject to acceptance at hindi naman po tinanggap ng NTF (Well, first of all, in the letter submitted by Mayor Magalong, it was not written that it is irrevocable. So we said it is subject to acceptance and the NTF did not accept it)," he said over DZBB Sunday, Feb. 7.
"At sa tingin ko naman mahimas-himasan lang si Mayor Magalong at ipagpapatuloy po niya dahil wala po talaga tayong mahahanap na kapalit ni Mayor Magalong, dahil siya po talaga ang naging author noong ating contact tracing formula dito sa Pilipinas (I think Mayor Magalong will recorder and continue his work because we cannot find a replacement for Mayor Magalong. He is the author of the contact tracing formula in the Philippines)," he said.
Asked if Magalong has agreed to stay on as contact tracing czar, Roque suggested to wait and see what will happen next, citing that the mayor was expected to attend a number of activities.
Last week, Roque said he was certain that President Duterte wanted Magalong to stay put as contact tracing czar. He said Duterte has nothing but praises for the retired police general in his work in the task force.
Magalong had admitted that health protocols were breached during a birthday bash of a social media personality which he and his wife attended last month.
In his resignation letter sent to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the NTF, Magalong said he was holding himself accountable and doing what is necessary to rectify such misstep.
Magalong drew praises from some groups for showing delicadeza in resigning.