Marcos explains why Magalong was named as ICI special adviser

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. explained Monday why he chose Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong as special adviser of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, which will look into irregularities of flood control projects.

At a press conference, Marcos pointed out that Magalong has since been an investigator, noting his key role in the investigation of the Mamasapano incident in 2015. He said the former police officer could contribute a lot to the investigation. 

''There have been questions as to why Mayor Benjie has been included and the answer is very simple – when I went to Baguio at tiningnan ko iyong mga malabo na flood control project ay sinalubong niya kaagad ako ng isang report. Imbestigador naman talaga si Mayor Benjie. Kung maalala ninyo, he was the one who wrote, as CIDG head, he was the one who wrote the seminal report on the Mamasapano incident and that was… immediately, that gave me… put him—that’s when I came to know of him and saw that he has integrity,'' Marcos said at a press briefing.

(When I went to Baguio and I saw the suspicious flood control projects, he immediately presented his report to me. Mayor Benjie is really an investigator. If you remember, he was the one who wrote, as CIDG head, he was the one who wrote the seminal report on the Mamasapano incident and that was... immediately, that gave me...  put him—that’s when I came to know of him and saw that he has integrity.)

''And then, again when I went to Baguio, mayroon na siyang—being a good investigator, he had a very, very detailed, very good report already. So, he’s been working on this for a while so marami siyang mako-contribute (he can contribute a lot),'' he added.

To recall, it was during Magalong's stint at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group that he was tapped to be the head of the PNP Board of Inquiry to look into the Mamasapano incident where terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and 44 Special Action Force commandos, 18 rebels, and five civilians were killed.

Also on Monday, Magalong denied that he had quit as mayor of Baguio City following his appointment as special adviser to the ICI. 

He said that being an investigator for the three-man body would not affect his duties as local chief executive. 

''False claims are circulating that I have resigned as Mayor of Baguio. I have not resigned. I remain your duly elected Mayor, fully committed to serving our city,'' Magalong said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, asked why he did not tap anyone from the CIDG or the National Bureau of Investigation to look into the anomalies in infrastructure projects, Marcos said these agencies are under the government.

''Because NBI and all of those are part of the government, so, again there is—if there is a suspicion that maybe, in the investigation, the previous investigation ay baka tinulungan sila ng mga kasama nila sa NBI mga ganoon, these things happen (the previous investigation indicated that maybe some people from NBI helped them, these things happen),'' he said. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News