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Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong’s resignation as contact tracing czar was not accepted by President Rodrigo Duterte’s pandemic task force, Malacañang said on Friday, January 29.

Magalong had volunteered to quit following intense backlash for attending a party in Baguio City where rules on social distancing and mask-wearing were flouted.

Despite the controversy, the task force decided Magalong should keep his post.

“Mayor Magalong’s resignation, however, has not been accepted. He continues to enjoy the trust and confidence of the National Task Force Against COVID-19,” said Presidential Spokesman and pandemic task force spokesman Harry Roque.

Magalong had previously apologized for the gaffe and asked the public for understanding.

He admitted that his wife, who attended the party with him, had herself violated protocol by taking off her mask for a photo. He, however, said he kept his mask on the whole time.

Critics have said Magalong follows in the steps of other government officials who violated pandemic-time regulations yet were not held accountable by government.

These include current Philippine National Police chief Debold Sinas, who attended a birthday gathering or “mañanita” held in his honor despite rules against mass gatherings back when he was Metro Manila police chief. President Rodrigo Duterte publicly defended him and later on promoted him to lead the police force.

In the early days of lockdown, Senator Koko Pimentel, an ally of the President, visited a hospital with his wife as she was about to give birth despite not having received the results of a COVID-19 test he had taken. He found out he tested positive inside the hospital.

Yet, the Department of Justice eventually decided that he did not violate the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act.

Meanwhile, thousands of Filipinos were arrested – many without warrants – and many more suffered from prolonged detention because they breached quarantine rules. – Rappler.com