Baguio mayor apologizes to Jillian Robredo for heckling incident

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong

MANILA, Philippines — Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong on Wednesday apologized to Jillian Robredo, the youngest daughter of Vice President Leni Robredo, after she was heckled at the Baguio City Public Market.

“We are sorry that incidents like this took place. Rudeness has never been a standard conduct of Baguio folks. We can assure Ms. Robredo that such a physical outburst by that person is not representative of Baguio’s legendary hospitable conduct, especially to visitors and guests,” Magalong said in a statement.

Baguio residents, according to Magalong, “are by and large amiable, warm, and sincere in their ways,” especially as the city is a popular tourist destination.

“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,” he added.

This came after video footage of the youngest Robredo daughter doing a face-to-face campaign in Baguio City went viral on social media after an unknown individual shouted at her for causing congested pathways in the market.

“To the Vice President’s daughter and to other visiting candidates and their supporters, do accept our heartfelt regrets over this incident. We treat everyone with utmost fairness, with nothing but the very best experience our visitors can have while in our midst,” Magalong further said.

Robredo’s daughters have all been going door-to-door to promote her presidential campaign, focusing on areas that are not known to be supportive of Robredo.

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