WALA umanong dapat na sisihin si Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong kundi ang kanyang sarili kaugnay ng kinakaharap nitong problema matapos mabigong isiwalat na isang kompanya na konektado sa kontrobersyal na pamilya Discaya ang sangkot sa isang proyekto ng kanyang lungsod, ayon kay House Infrastructure Committee (Infra-Comm) overall chairman Terry Ridon ng Bicol Saro Party-list.

“Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong has only himself to blame for his current woes in the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI),” ani Ridon. “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.”

Sinabi ni Ridon na hindi maliit na bagay ang pagsisiyasat sa ₱110-milyong Baguio tennis court project dahil direktang sangkot dito ang mga Discaya, na nauna ng sumabit sa mga maanomalyang flood control project.

“The reason for scrutiny of a particular project is not marginal—it is highly relevant, as it involves one of the central personalities in flood control corruption: the Discayas and one of their key firms,” ani Ridon. “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.”

Binigyang-diin pa ni Ridon na si Magalong mismo ang umamin na subcontractor lamang ang kausap ng lungsod. “Mayor Magalong even admitted today that the city had only been dealing with a subcontractor—precisely the type of anomalous arrangement being flagged in both House and Senate panels as indicative of substandard and questionable projects,” ani niya.

Nilinaw ng mambabatas mula Bicol Saro na wala pang ebidensya ng korapsyon o kickbacks sa proyekto ngunit binigyang-diin na may sapat na batayan ang publiko para magtanong.

“To be clear, there is no allegation at this point that the ₱110-million Baguio City tennis court project is tainted with corruption, or that city officials received kickbacks from the Discayas,” ani Ridon. “There is, however, a legitimate allegation that the project may be substandard—giving the public every reason to ask questions. And more importantly, even the loudest champions of good governance should never reject scrutiny of their own projects.”

Ani Ridon, ang pinakamatingkad na isyu ay ang pananahimik ni Magalong tungkol sa ugnayan ng Discaya sa kabila ng mga naunang pahayag. “The first news report on the tennis court project came out on September 20, 2025. Yet as early as August 11, 2025, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had publicly disclosed the involvement of the Discayas and other flood control contractors. On September 2, 2025, the Discayas themselves admitted control over multiple contracting firms,” ani Ridon.

“For more than a month—from the President’s disclosure until the news article’s publication—Mayor Magalong said nothing about this project, all while continuing to speak publicly against corruption,” dagdag pa niya.

“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,” diin pa ni Ridon.