Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong on Tuesday expressed his support for former Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, who is currently running for another term in the Senate in the upcoming May polls.
“We're supporting Senator JV. I have been hearing a lot of good feedbacks, comments from his fellow Senators,” Magaong said when asked about his impression of the former lawmaker when the latter visited Baguio City.
“Noong nag-aattend ako ng (When I attended) Senate hearings, every time they mention JV, laging (it’s always) positive,” he said.
Magalong, who currently heads the famous tourist attraction which has more than 370,000 residents, lauded Ejercito for his hard work, humility, competence, and excellent leadership.
“So, these are the kind of people that we want in the Senate. And we need genuine leaders in the Senate and that's Senator JV,” Magalong said.
Other local chief executives who have expressed their support to Ejercito’s Senate comeback bid include Davao City Mayor and vice presidential candidate Sara Duterte, Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc, Tarlac Governor Susan Yap, and Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno.
Ejercito is a former local chief executive himself, having served as mayor of San Juan City from 2001 to 2010. It was during his term when San Juan achieved cityhood in 2007.
He was then elected senator in 2013 after three years of serving as representative of San Juan City’s lone legislative district.
Ejercito authored and sponsored a total of 161 bills and resolutions during his six-year term. He was instrumental in helping steer the passage of the Universal Healthcare Law and Department of Urban Development and Human Settlements Law in the Senate.