Humingi ng paumanhin si Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong nitong Miyerkules Abril 27, kay Vice President Leni Robredo at sa kanyang anak na si Jillian Robredo sa nangyaring “heckling” incident sa pampublikong pamilihan ng lungsod sa panahon ng campaign sortie.
Sinabi ni Mayor na nasa market tour si Jillian at ang kanyang team noong Martes Abril 26 nang sigawan siya ng isang lalaki. Sinabi niya na posibleng ito ay “must have been a misunderstood presence by the latter.”
“We are sorry that incidents like this took place. Rudeness has never been a standard conduct of Baguio folks,” sinabi ni Mayor Benjamin sa kanyang Facebook page.
Dagdag pa niya,”we can assure Ms. Robredo that such a physical outburst by a woman is not representative of Baguio’s legendary hospitable conduct, especially to visitors and guests.”
Ayon pa kay Benjamin, ang mga residente ng Baguio ay “amiable, warm, and sincere in their ways” dahil ito ay isang paboritong destinasyon ng mga turista.
“We sincerely hope that Ms. Jillian and her team of supporters will regard this unfortunate incident as purely an isolated one that took place in a momentary outburst of political misdemeanor,” anito.
“Baguio is a peaceful place whose historical experience in election campaigns has been a source of genuine friendship not just among us local candidates but much more so when visiting candidates come here for good-intentioned engagements,” wika ng Mayor ng Baguio.
Sa isang tweet noong Miyerkules, sinabi ni Jillian na magpapatuloy ang bahay-bahay sa “palengke runs” ilang araw na lang bago ang botohan sa Mayo 2022.
“Gandang umaga. Tuloy-tuloy lang po ang H2H at palengke runs. Puso sa puso. Last 12 days. Focus tayo,” tweet ng bunsong anak ni VP Leni sa Twitter.
Sinabi ni VP Leni Robredo na hindi na kailangang humingi ng tawad ang alkade.
“Thank you very much, Mayor Benjie, but there is no need to apologize. This unfortunate incident does not diminish our love and respect for the people of Baguio,” Robredo said.