Magalong responds to Gomez’s cryptic remarks

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong responded to Leyte 4th District Representative Richard Gomez's cryptic remarks following Magalong's statement accusing some members of Congress of being involved in corrupt activities.

In a radio interview, Magalong expressed his willingness to attend a Senate hearing as a resource person after he accused certain congress members of influencing the appointment of district or regional engineers in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which he said has fueled corruption among officials.

"I am waiting for their notice. I spoke and appeared before them, there was no notice. So I’m just waiting in case I do receive one. Of course, out of respect, I will attend the Senate hearing. Maybe they can ask me there, but they shouldn’t treat me like an accused person," he said in Filipino.

His remarks came after Leyte 4th District Rep. Richard Gomez mentioned an unnamed city mayor who raised corruption allegations against him and fellow lawmakers, saying the unnamed mayor should be "fixing his own house first" before pointing fingers at others.

Gomez did not name the mayor, but in recent months, only Benjamin Magalong has publicly accused lawmakers of being involved in corruption related to infrastructure projects and aid.

When asked about the possibility of leading an independent probe into DPWH anomalies, Magalong said he has not received any directive from President Marcos and will wait for official instructions. "It seems like mere speculation [that he has been eyed by the administration to lead an independent probe], nothing like that actually happened," he said in Filipino.

Earlier, he shared that he reported flood control project anomalies to President Marcos, particularly in Baguio. "He had been hearing about it, but when he actually saw it, you could really see the President is infuriated about it. He said, ‘I don’t want my term to end without anything happening.’ He was stressed — I could clearly see how stressed he was," he added.

Magalong also addressed claims that he was criticizing the current administration, clarifying that he was merely pointing out issues, not spreading hate. "I believe that every administration has its own legacy. For President Marcos’ administration, this is a key issue, so I spoke up about the corruption that’s surfacing. It’s not just in the DPWH, but also in other agencies," he said in Filipino.

"It was a courage to mention that [issues to the President]," he added.