“Now that Mayor Magalong has quit the ICI, he can devote his time to our beloved city and meet these issues head-on”
BAGUIO City Mayor Benjamin Magalong’s resignation as special adviser to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has drawn sharp criticism from residents of my city, with his detractors calling it a political maneuver to protect his image while keeping an eye on the 2028 national elections.
Magalong has framed the move as avoiding conflict of interest, but critics argue it is calculated theater—distancing himself from controversy while leaving unresolved questions about his ties to controversial contractors.
One issue is the P110-million Burnham Park tennis court and parking building project, awarded to St. Gerrard Construction of the controversial Discaya couple, which has become a flashpoint.
Baguio residents have complained of its “shoddy work” and the opaque bidding process.
The City Council has summoned the Discayas to explain how their firm secured the deal, as Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan said a few days ago.
My neighbors say St. Gerrard’s continued success in landing big-ticket projects during Magalong’s term suggests more than coincidence.
“It’s hard to believe they keep winning without backing from the top,” one contractor-neighbor of mine said.
Magalong has also been vocal against alleged irregularities in flood control projects in Northern Luzon, a stance critics say is meant to boost his reformist image.
“He calls out corruption elsewhere while overlooking problems in his own city,” lawyer Francis Camtugan, a civic leader, noted recently.
The “good governance” image of Magalong’s tenure also faced backlash over the Baguio Public Market modernization deal, which critics say favors big business.
Pine tree-cutting for city projects that have been condemned by environmental groups, along with COVID-19 protocol lapses during the pandemic, allowed critics to accuse his administration of double standards.
Recently, we also learned that City Councilor Maria Mylen Victoria Yaranon, who chairs the council’s committee on public works, and Baguio resident Ryan Dale Mangusan filed a complaint against the mayor and other city officials before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Yaranon and Mangusan, who filed in his capacity as a taxpayer, said Magalong must account for the apparent irregularities in the P50-million Baguio Athletic Bowl project in 2021, which remains unresolved to date.
These controversies, combined with the St. Gerrard scandal, are fueling suspicions among my neighbors that his “clean governance” narrative masks a willingness to protect powerful interests.
Some of them warn that Magalong’s resignation from ICI looks less like accountability and more like political choreography.
By appearing to step away from conflict while keeping his mayoralty intact, he preserves his reformist brand and positions himself for a national campaign.
“Magalong isn’t resigning—he’s reinventing,” one neighbor ‑‑ a former police officer like Magalong — observed.
“Every controversy he rides only sharpens his profile for 2028.”
It’s probably why the respected Federation of Free Workers, two weeks ago, said Magalong should not be “on two boats” as mayor and ICI special adviser and called on him to give up the reins of Baguio.
Citing the Constitution, the FFW said: “No elective official shall be eligible for appointment or designation to any public office or position during his tenure, unless otherwise allowed by law or if such is ex officio in nature.”
“There is no doubt about the integrity of Mayor Magalong, as he is steadfast and well-known for his public service,” the labor group said.
“But no matter how good the intention, the Constitution is clear: you can’t ride two boats at the same time. If you’re a mayor, then you’re just a mayor. If you’re an investigator, then you’re just an investigator.”
Now that Mayor Magalong has quit the ICI, he can devote his time to our beloved city and meet these issues head-on.
My neighbors and I deserve no less.
(The writer is a former schoolteacher and long-time resident of City Camp Alley in Baguio City)
