SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta (left) and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong (Facebook, Wikipedia)





SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta is not one to back down from a war of words, even if the person on the other side of the fence is a retired police general. During plenary session Monday afternoon, July 31, Marcoleta stood up to defend Congress' honor from insinuations made by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong. Marcoleta took issue with Magalong's remarks during the latter's speech in Camp Crame last July 3 wherein he expressed "sadness" over the supposed unwillingness of lawmakers to "give up their pork barrels" amid a ballooning national debt and uncertainties over the budget of the military and uniformed personnel (MUP) pension. "Hopefully, one of them will come out in the open and tell us, it is about time that legislators should also give a big contribution to address a national government issue, especially on our national debt," Magalong, a former police deputy director General, was quoted as saying. At the same time, Marcoleta said that Magalong and some of his colleagues in the Philippine National Police (PNP) "are prepared to contribute reasonable part of their pension to address the national budget". "Big words, Madam Speaker.  It is as if the good Mayor of Baguio is or would like to portrait himself as the knight in shining armor, armed with the silver bullet to address corruption in this country," the veteran congressman said in his privelege speech without naming Magalong. "I’d like to believe that he is trying to project himself as the Hercules of Greece in mythology who has tried to cleanse the Augean Stables, the modern reference of graft and corruption, Madam Speaker," the former deputy speaker in the House of Representatives said. "Pork barrel" refers to legislators' discretionary funds. It has a negative connotation since.it has been linked to practices of corruption in the past, particularly in the billion-peso pork barrel scam that grabbed headlines in the mid-2010s. Magalong also reportedly said of the solons: "Nakakalungkot na mayroon na nga silang tinatawag na porsiyento sa bawat project, hindi pa nagsawa. May porsiyento na nga sila, sila pa ang contractor, sila pa rin ang supplier (It saddens that despite them having percentages from each project, they're still not contented. They get to have percentages, and at the same their both the contractor and supplier)." In Marcoleta's view, Magalong does not have the "moral integrity or the rectitude" to "point an accusing finger to the legislature". "There was a challenge post by the Bible thousands of years ago: 'He who is without sin should cast the first stone.'  In all due respect and in all candor, Madam Speaker, I do not believe that the Mayor of Baguio City has the moral integrity or the rectitude to cast the first stone.  No one is, Madam Speaker," he said. Marcoleta brought up details of the Annual Audit Report of COA dated Dec. 31, 2022, from which he pointed out that "347 development projects prioritized by the City of Baguio were never implemented". "They are worth P943 million, Madam Speaker. So, the intended purpose, the intended socio-economic and environmental services to the targeted beneficiaries were not delivered," he said. The veteran solon further noted that by the end of 2022, the total unsettled notice of disallowances and charges, as audited by COA, totaled P235 million. "Even the Local Disaster Reduction Management Fund in the total of P405 million, only P106 million were utilized, Madam Speaker, showing a utilization rate of 26 percent.  Why?  Why do they have to withhold the services that are due to the constituents of Baguio?  Why is it that COA was able to note a time deposit of the City of Baguio in the amount of P4.3 billion. Bakit hindi po nila gastahin? (Why aren't they spending it?)" asked Marcoleta. He went on to challenge Magalong to give up his supposed confidential fund, which he said was reportedly P2 million annually. "Whatever amount that you will be able to produce, I will ask the leadership of Congress to match that, maybe five times of the amount that you will be able to produce so that we can address the problem of our national budget. "Pero ‘wag kang magpaparatang (But don't make accusations). Do not point the accusing finger to the legislature. The legislature is much more greater than the sum total of its parts. Do not generalize. With these qualified accounts of COA, Madam Speaker, the case of Mayor Magalong is like the pot telling the kettle black," Marcoleta said. The SAGIP solon reminded Magalong that the House can summon Baguio officials anytime as part of its oversight function, particularly when it conducts investigations in aid of legislation. "Kaya po natin silang ipatawag. Huwag po niyang sasabihin na huwag pakialaman ang Baguio dahil hindi naman sa kaniya ang Baguio (We can summon them. He shouldn't tell people to leave Baguio alone since he doesn't own Baguio)," Marcoleta said.