Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong assured his constituents that his special adviser/investigator role with the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) would not affect his duties and responsibilities as local government executive.
In a brief official statement released Monday, Magalong denied rumors he resigned as mayor when he accepted a position with the ICI, which President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. recently organized to conduct a comprehensive probe on alleged anomalous government infrastructure projects.
“False claims are circulating that I have resigned as Mayor of Baguio. I have not resigned. I remain your duly elected Mayor, fully committed to serving our city,” Magalong said, addressing Baguio City residents.
“While I have been appointed as Special Adviser and Investigator for the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to help look into alleged anomalies in flood control projects, this will not affect my mandate as Mayor. My foremost duty and priority remain with the people of Baguio,” he added.
In a press conference in Malacañang, President Marcos explained that while he initially preferred to have no politician on board with the ICI, he made an exception for Magalong because of his investigative skills and wide scope of knowledge on the issues at hand.
“We have included Mayor Benjie Magalong as a special adviser as well. There have been questions as to why Mayor Benjie has been included and the answer is very simple…. When I went to Baguio… being a good investigator, he had a very, very detailed, very good report already. So, he’s been working on this for a while, so he has a lot to contribute,” Mr. Marcos told reporters.
On Tuesday, Magalong immediately went to work with Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon to inspect questionable infrastructure projects in La Union, where they noticed similar patterns of sloppy constructions.
In a radio interview, Dizon said they are finalizing new sets of cases against DPWH officials and project contractors involved in the flood control mess in Oriental Mindoro. He said they are constantly in touch with the ICI throughout the ongoing investigation of projects nationwide.
