Abalos resigns as MMDA chair, now Marcos' campaign manager

MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila Development Authority Benhur Abalos has resigned from his post to serve as the campaign manager of presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the late ousted dictator. 

Abalos made the announcement Monday morning as he officially tendered his resignation to President Rodrigo Duterte, who appointed him in January 2021. 

"The campaign period is fast approaching, and I would need to devote my time to Sen. Bongbong Marcos' campaign as his national campaign manager," he said. 

"With utmost gratitude, I respectfully tender my resignation effective end of business hour of February 7, 2022."

As MMDA chair, Abalos was instrumental in urging unity among Metro Manila's local chief executives in their pandemic response initiatives. The capital region's mayors collaborated in pushing for vaccination and restrictions on the unvaccinated, among others. 

His father, Benhur Sr., was appointed by former president Corazon Aquino as officer-in-charge of Mandaluyong following the EDSA Revolution that ousted the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the presidential candidate's father. 

At his press conference Monday announcing his resignation, Abalos said he had been friends with the younger Marcos since his failed vice-presidential bid back in 2016. 

"The aggressive vaccination programs and the carefully crafted health and safety protocols, pilot-tested in Metro Manila, are now being echoed in the provinces and are bringing similar victories," Abalos wrote in his resignation letter.

"I am confident that with our protocols firmly in place, we are well equipped to deal with future COVID-related challenges," he added.

— Franco Luna