HYPOCRITE? Ridon blasts Magalong’s non-disclosure of Discaya tennis court project in Baguio

Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who has been vocally critical of the alleged corruption in the flood control projects, has no one to blame but himself on his brief stint as special adviser to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), a lawmaker asserted Thursday. 

Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon blasted Magalong’s “hypocrisy,” pointing to him being mum on the P110-million tennis court and parking building project in his city that was awarded to St. Gerrard Construction—one of nine firms owned by big-time contractor couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya—in 2022. 

“This failure to disclose and his continuing rejection of scrutiny do not speak well of his actual commitment to transparency, accountability, and good governance—particularly when it comes to his own affairs,” said Ridon, who led a parallel probe into the flood control anomalies.

Magalong resigned from the ICI after President Marcos Jr. ordered a review of his appointment over an alleged conflict of interest. 

The three-member ICI was formed to probe alleged corruption and irregularities in the execution of flood control and infrastructure projects in the last ten years nationwide.

The House investigation headed by Ridon suspended its inquiry to pave the way for the ICI.

Roughly a week after stepping down,

Magalong, on Thursday, expressed dismay at the statements of Palace press officer Claire Castro regarding his designation. He also took offense at Castro’s insinuation of alleged anomalies in the tennis court project in his city.

“I can still accept her mentioning that I am not an investigator, just a legal adviser. But to suggest that there is an anomaly in the tennis court project because it was done by the Discayas, that is too much,” Magalong said in Filipino in an interview. “It’s like you are making it appear that I am involved in corruption.”

Ridon, however, contended that Magalong “has only himself to blame” because he could have disclosed the Discaya project in his city prior to his appointment in early September. 

The lawmaker narrated that a news report on the Baguio tennis court came out on 20 September, but Marcos already flagged the Discaya and their firms, including St. Gerard, as early as August. 

Ridon argued that Magalong had more than a month to disclose to the President the Discaya firm’s involvement in the project in his city, but kept his mouth shut “while continuing to speak publicly against corruption.”

“It is the height of hypocrisy for a public official who styles himself as a champion of transparency, accountability, and good governance to reject public scrutiny of projects within his own local government,” Ridon asserted.

“This directly tests Mayor Magalong’s integrity and commitment to transparency, as he himself, as the city’s Head of Procuring Entity, has engaged a contractor linked to ghost and substandard projects,” he added. “[E]ven the loudest champions of good governance should never reject scrutiny of their own projects.”

The P110-million Baguio tennis court project is also under scrutiny due to complaints of substandard work, such as leaks in the rear wall that have caused flooding in the parking area.

Magalong said the local government had already withheld the remaining P26-million payment to St. Gerrard and imposed almost P5 million in liquidated damages due to the project’s defects and delays.

Magalong has been vocal in criticizing the purported corruption in flood control projects, accusing members of the House of Representatives of receiving 30 to 40 percent kickbacks for every project. 

He had no qualms in implicating former House speaker Martin Romualdez and embattled Elizaldy Co, who resigned as lawmaker of Ako Bicol at the height of the investigation.