Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong announced his resignation as special adviser to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Friday stating the move was necessary to protect the body’s credibility amid what he called doubts about its independence.
In a statement, Magalong said his resignation, effective September 26, was a difficult but deliberate choice.
He denied any conflict of interest between his role as mayor and his service on the commission, asserting that both positions were held to the “highest standards of integrity.”
“However, recent developments have cast doubt on the independence of the Commission,” Magalong said.
“Independence is the bedrock of accountability, and without it, our credibility is compromised,” he added.
He described his departure not as a retreat but as a strategic move to safeguard the ICI’s mission.
“I refuse to allow these doubts to weaken the ICI and its mandate,” he said.
Magalong vowed to continue his anti-corruption advocacy outside the commission, invoking his record of confronting powerful interests.
The former police general is known for his involvement in high-profile investigations like the Mamasapano incident in 2015 and the “Ninja Cops” probe in 2019.
Magalong recently gained national prominence for his public statements against government corruption.
He described the cost of graft from stolen public funds as “a school left unfinished, a hospital without medicine, a bridge that collapses, and a nation’s hopes betrayed.”
He called for vigilance and courage, saying “we cannot allow corruption to define our future.”
Magalong said the fight would be long against “deeply entrenched” forces.
He concluded with a message saying, “The power of the people will always be stronger than the power of the few. The crusade against corruption continues.”
Magalong’s resignation comes as the ICI leads the investigation into alleged anomalies in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
No immediate replacement has been announced.
