Joselito Malig

Article (news)

Andrea Taguines

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong formally turned over his duties as Special Adviser to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. in a meeting on Tuesday, with Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon.Magalong vouched for Azurin’s ability to take on the role, saying he worked with him before as part of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force under now-Senator Panfilo Lacson.“Kilala ko siya at siguradong equally capable siya. Baka siguro mas magaling pa ‘yan sakin. Wag kayong mag-alala. Gagawin niya yung kanyang mandate,” he said.But he warned about forces that could try to undermine his duties, which Magalong said is the reason why he chose to quit in the first place.“Basta importante wag lang siyang i-undermine, yung kapasidad niya. At bayaan siyang mag-imbestiga at sana wag siyang pakialaman, wag siyang pigilan. Kasi ang gusto naman natin dito malaman natin yung katotohanan… Wag sanang gawin yung ginawa nila sakin,” he said.Magalong did not directly say who he was referring to but he also expressed frustration over the previous pronouncements of Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, which he said, were done without prior consultation with him.Magalong&#x27;s resignation had been preceded by Castro saying on September 26 that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s legal team was reviewing his appointment over questions of conflict of interest as concurrent investigator and Baguio City mayor.“Yun ang message doon sa nilabas ni Usec. Claire na presscon niya. Kumbaga sinabihan niya ako wala kang karapatan mag-imbestiga kasi special adviser ka,” he said.“I struck a nerve o kaya several nerves. May tinamaan ako so may umaray. Sila, nag-panic mode kaya nagkaroon ng ganung klaseng presscon na bigla-biglaan. Di man lang ako sinabihan, ‘di man lang sinabihan si Sec. Vince. Binastos pa ko. Ano ba naman yung tawagin ako at sinabihan ako?” he added.ABS-CBN News has reached out to Malacañang for a comment.Moving forward, both Azurin and Dizon vowed to not let external factors impact their investigation into anomalous flood control and infrastructure projects.“I take comfort in the President’s words na paulit-ulit, very consistent. Sabi niya, walang sisinuhin dito, walang sasantuhin so kami ni General Jun (Azurin), gagawin lang namin yung trabaho namin,” said Dizon.“Naka-retire ako nang maayos (from service). Alangan namang babalik ako para maging walanghiya rin? Kaya nga ako babalik is to help our country,” echoed Azurin.<div>TURNOVER OF DOCUMENTS</div>Meanwhile, Magalong committed to turn over all the work he has done and evidence that he has gathered to Azurin to help him transition into the role and help speed up the case buildup of the ICI.“Ang nasa pipeline is about 25 plus cases na dapat ifa-file pa yan. Nonetheless ituturnover ko yan lahat kay General Azurin, including yung mga technical reports kasi halos natapos na rin yan. Importante kasi yung mga technical reports na yan dahil yan ang magpapatunay talaga na substandard o ghost ang isang project,” he said.Dizon said he will also discuss strategy with Azurin, such as on which areas to prioritize for inspections.“Kailangan kasi bilisan natin lalo pa ang mga kababayan natin naiinip na, lahat tayo galit na, gusto na nating mapanagot yung mga dapat managot. So yun ang pag-uusapin namin ngayon, kung paano namin mapapabilis ang proseso,” said Dizon.For his part, Azurin said he will bring in police and army units as force multipliers. That’s on top of the engineers and lawyers that would also be part of his team.“Within this week I have to see the chief PNP, see the Chief of Staff, coordinate din kay SND (Secretary of National Defense) and even sa SILG (Secretary of the Interior and Local Government) so we get clearance from them tungkol sa mga kukunin nating mga tao,” he said.According to Azurin, the DPWH will provide a sort of checklist or template to also inform the PNP and AFP on how to go about the investigation.“Ano ba yung mga requirements pag nag-inspect, para yung mga PNP and AFP na pupunta sa area alam nila ano ang hahanapin, yung location… May checklist sila na sinusunod para sa ganun iisa yung method o mga reports na gagawin nila para mas mapadali yung pag-iimbestiga namin,” he added.

Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong formally turned over his duties as Special Adviser to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. in a meeting on Tuesday.

Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong formally turned over his duties as Special Adviser to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. in a meeting on Tuesday.

'Sana wag siyang pakialaman': Magalong turns over ICI duties to Azurin

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'Sana wag siyang pakialaman': Magalong turns over ICI duties to Azurin

Andrea Taguines,

ABS-CBN News

Published Oct 07, 2025 06:18 PM PHT

Read More:

turnover

ICI Special Adviser

Benjamin Magalong

Rodolfo Azurin

DPWH

flood control

corruption

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