THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), including all the attached agencies, welcomes the nomination of former Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairperson Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos, Jr. as the next DILG Secretary.

“We have worked closely with Chairperson Abalos during the height of the pandemic and we have seen how he ably steered the COVID-19 pandemic response in the National Capital Region (NCR) which has resulted in the downward trend of coronavirus cases and the successful roll-out of the vaccination program in Metro Manila,” DILG said in a statement.

DILG said that as a former City Mayor of Mandaluyong and MMDA Chairperson, “Abalos will be able to provide good direction and leadership to both the interior and local government sectors in scaling up their performance in peace and order, public safety, and local governance for the benefit of the Filipino people.”

The department is also hopeful that Abalos will continue and build on the ongoing campaign against criminality, illegal drugs, corruption, and communist terrorism “that we have focused on and which has reached unprecedented heights of accomplishment in the past six years.”

DILG said that it is ready to “work closely with him [Abalos] and his transition team for the smooth turnover of responsibilities, especially with the implementation of full devolution to local government units (LGUs), which started this year.”  By Jun I. Legaspi

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Jun I. Legaspi