Magalong moves on after redtagging

CITY HALL BEAT

Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY -- Mayor Benjamin Magalong has set out to move on from the communist tagging fray that arose from his selection to the  national body looking into the drug culpability of Philippine National Police personnel recently.
    "Let us move on and join together in affirming our common commitment to free our country of communist terrorists, Islamist terrorists and drugs, a legacy that we need to pass on to the next generation," the mayor said in his message to his fellow Philippine Military Academy (PMA) cavaliers last Jan. 22, 2023.
Magalong said there is no need to dwell on the unfounded tirade against his person saying time and energy is better spent on addressing the problems at hand.
    "The challenges that we face versus the communist-terrorist groups are equally great and requires the unwavering support and efforts of all our cavaliers and stakeholders.  The passion continues and let us be proud and secure in knowing that our PMA family, the family that we chose, will always support us in our advocacy to promote authentic Good Governance which is, as a matter of personal opinion, the only way we can completely eradicate communism in our country," he said.
    Magalong received an overwhelming support from the PMA, Philippine National Police and various sectors in the national, regional and city levels vouching for his character and belying the claims made by his detractors.
"In all the decisions that I have made in my public life, I have always been guided by the principles that I have learned from my Alma Mater, the PMA - Courage, Integrity and Loyalty," he noted.
    "After an unfortunate tirade these past few days against my character, I am grateful that the dust is beginning to settle and the healing process has started. Much of this is all because of the unwavering support of those who have stood by me, publicly and privately," he said.
    "Your testament of support only humbles me further and inspires me to fight the good fight," he added.
The mayor wss recently chosen as a member of the five-man committee tasked to review the records of high-ranking police officials as part of the campaign to weed out those linked to illegal drugs.
    This did not sit well with former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) Undersecretary Lorraine Marie Badoy, a certain "Ka Eric" and Pastor Apollo Quiboloy who lambasted the mayor and branded him as a "traitor", "a person of no principles" among other unfounded accusations in their television programs.
    Following Magalong's statement, Quiboloy and Ka Eric issued their separate public apologies in their respective programs.
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Mayor Magalong has sought improvement of waste disposal practices at the city market.
    This after City Engr. Edgar Victorio Olpindo showed huge deposits of plastic wastes lodged in the drainage when the City Engineering Office team conducted declogging operations in the area.
    "May I request an extensive campaign on better garbage disposal at the city market," Olpindo said.
    The mayor said he will again call a meeting with the vendors to remind them of their responsibility to keep their work areas in order.
    City market superintendent Ceasar Emilio and Public Order and Safety Division head enforcer Darryl Longid will organize the meeting with market leaders and section officers to discuss how to maintain the overall cleanliness of the market including proper waste disposal.
    Longid said resource persons from concerned offices will be invited to talk about mitigating measures and the ill effects of irresponsible and indiscriminate waste disposal to the health, environment and the market vendors' own livelihood.
    The market office has ramped up clean-up efforts in the various sections of the market in the past months in line with the mayor's order revitalizing the clean and orderly campaign.
    Self-discipline on waste disposal however remains wanting.