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MMDA chairman Benhur Abalos resigns, to focus on Marcos campaign

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<p>MANILA (UPDATED)—Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Benhur Abalos has resigned from his post, saying he wants to devote his time as national campaign manager of presidential candidate Ferdinand &quot;Bongbong&quot; Marcos Jr.</p><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/MMDAPH/videos/491670495924570" data-width="auto"> </div><p>Abalos, who also served as Marcos Jr.&#x27;s campaign manager in 2016, said he had submitted his resignation letter to President Rodrigo Duterte. </p><p>&quot;Kaibigan ko po si BBM. Napakabait na tao. Lahat po tayo may kanya-kanyang pananaw sa lahat ng bagay... Maging sa Presidente, ok lang &#x27;yan. It&#x27;s just an exercise. But at the end of every electoral exercise, we must unite as a country and as a people. Ako po ay BBM dahil naniniwala ako sa kanya, mabait po siya,&quot; he told reporters. </p><p>&quot;This will be my last press conference,&quot; he said, adding that he has given instructions to the MMDA general manager about continuing the programs to stop COVID-19. </p><p>In a separate statement, Abalos said he believed in Marcos Jr.&#x27;s leadership.</p><p>&quot;I have known Bongbong for a long time, and I know that he has the experience and the capability to make things better for our country. Among the presidential aspirants, I find his unifying message as sincere and necessary in leading the country towards the road to progress and sustainable development,&quot; he said.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Marcos camp said Abalos would be a &quot;huge addition&quot; to the campaign and his role would be &quot;crucial&quot; in leading the tandem of Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to victory.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">JUST IN: MMDA Chairman Benhur Abalos resigns on eve of official campaign period.</p>— Doris Bigornia (@DorisBigornia) <a href="https://twitter.com/DorisBigornia/status/1490495622906281984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2022</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Since returning to the Philippines in 1991 from a 5-year exile in Hawaii after his father&#x27;s overthrow in a &quot;People Power&quot; uprising, Marcos Jr. and his family has been trying to rebuild their image, which was tainted by human rights violations during the Marcos dictatorship. </p><p>The government has recovered P174 billion in Marcos ill-gotten wealth, according to the Presidential Commission on Good Government. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1916449" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

(UPDATED) Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Benhur Abalos has resigned from his post, saying he wants to devote his time as national campaign manager of presidential candidate Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr.