San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora apologized for his visit to Baguio City, saying that he only accompanied his wife, who’s recovering from cancer.
In his statement, Zamora apologized to Mayor Benjamin Magalong and to the people of Baguio, saying that they’re didn’t intend to ignore “any checkpoint or quarantine protocols of the LGU”.
Zamora was reportedly told Magalong that he was sleeping during the time when his 6-vehicle convoy passed the quarantine checkpoint in Baguio.
“We had no intention of breaking any checkpoint or quarantine protocols of the LGU. I have personally called Mayor Magalong earlier today to convey my apologies and to explain that this was a miscommunication in the checkpoint area,” Zamora said.
“As we arrived in our hotel, the management informed us that we would have to undergo a triage which we all fully and immediately complied with,” he added.
The Mayor then proceeded to explain the reason why he traveled to Baguio.
According to him, they went to Baguio because it’s the perfect place for his wife to take a rest.
“My wife is a stage 3 breast cancer patient and is still undergoing active treatment. Her doctor advised her to take a very needed rest which combined with her medical treatment protocols would help her achieve full recovery. We decided to go to Baguio because her family has an old house there,” Zamora narrated.
“She was going to stay there for a few weeks to rest and recover. In fact, we brought some of her personal belongings and some furniture so we could fix the house over the weekend since the house hasn’t been stayed in for quite some time. I was going to go back home to San Juan today. Her sister was going to go up this afternoon stay with her for the duration of her rest and active treatment,” he added.
The news angered the people of Baguio and even started a petition to declare Zamora as persona non grata in their city.
“By ignoring protocols and initiatives of the City of Baguio, one of the cities in the country that serves as a model in the fight against the spread of Covid-19 thanks to the discipline and genuine concern of its citizens and the city’s current leadership, San Juan City Mayor Zamora, arrogantly and selfishly, spat in the face of every Baguio citizen who’s sacrificed so much to keep the city safer,” the petition read.