Metro Manila, Philippines – Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong said he was “eased out” of the commission investigating anomalous infrastructure projects after getting close to something too hot to handle.
Magalong discussed his resignation as special adviser to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) during a Senate hearing on Thursday, Oct. 2. He was a resource person for the hearing on the proposed use of blockchain technology to enhance public access to the national budgetAsked about his stint at the ICI, Magalong criticized the Sept. 26 press conference of Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro, where she clarified that the mayor was appointed merely as a special adviser: “Hindi po lead investigator or in any other form na pag-iimbestiga [not a lead investigator or any other form of investigator].”Magalong said this was not the original arrangement for his role as legal adviser and investigator.“In-ease out na ako doon e [I was already being eased out there],” Magalong said. Magalong took offense at Castro’s subsequent mention of possible conflict in the alleged anomalous tennis court project of contractor St. Gerrard Construction, owned by the Discaya family, in Baguio City.“Suddenly here comes a below the belt naman na accusation na, ‘ay dahil may project si Discaya doon at maanomalyang tennis court.’ Sobra na ‘yan. ‘Yun ang hindi ko ma-take. Parang pinapalabas mo pa na corrupt ako, mag-aaway na tayo diyan,” he said. [Translation: Suddenly, here comes a below-the-belt accusation like, ‘Oh, it’s because Discaya has a project there and a questionable tennis court.’ That’s too much. That’s what I can’t take. It’s like you’re making it look like I’m corrupt – that will put us at odds.]“Kaya nararamdaman mo talaga na maanomalya rin yung pagconduct ng presscon na ‘yun and probably, she’s taking orders from someone else na hindi ko alam,” he later said in a chance interview, referring to Castro.[Translation: That’s why you can really feel that the way that press conference was conducted was also questionable, and probably, she’s taking orders from someone else, I don’t know.]Magalong said the message was clear: someone wants him to stop investigating, but stopped short of naming names. “I believe I struck a nerve, or several nerves, na they panicked kaya ganoon ang nangyari [that’s why that happened],” he said. “Nakapagtataka lang eh, bakit biglang ayaw ako mag-imbestiga,” he said, adding that he has suspicions about where his probe was headed, but did not elaborate.[Translation: It’s a surprise that suddenly they don’t want me to investigate]He also addressed the controversy surrounding the tennis court project, pointing out that the bidding process was “very open and very transparent” in 2022, and that he received no kickbacks. He recalled summoning representatives from St. Gerrard due to concerns about project implementation.“Kasi bakit subcontractor ang kausap natin? Ipatawag nyo na yan. Otherwise, iteterminate ko siya,” he recalled saying, adding that the project has not been fully paid and that the company owes the government liquidated damages.[Translation: In the first place, why did we talk to the subcontractor? Call the contractor. Otherwise, we would terminate the project.]
‘Hypocrisy’
Meanwhile, Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon, co-chairperson of the House infrastructure committee, accused Magalong of hypocrisy, saying the mayor was avoiding public scrutiny of questionable projects in his city.“Mayor Magalong even admitted today that the city had only been dealing with a subcontractor – precisely the type of anomalous arrangement being flagged in both House and Senate panels as indicative of substandard and questionable projects,” Ridon said in a statement.“Most telling is Mayor Magalong’s failure to disclose that a major Discaya firm had in fact been involved in Baguio City projects,” he said. Ridon said a news article on the tennis court project was published as early as Sept. 20, and that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had already named St. Gerrard among the top flood control contractors as far back as Aug. 11.
