BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Benjamin Magalong supports Senate President Chiz Escudero’s plan to file a bill that would prohibit relatives of public officials up to the fourth degree from entering into government contracts.

Escudero proposed the law to eliminate the conflict of interest that persists in many government procurement processes, where relatives of officials allegedly benefit from preferential treatment or insider access.

Magalong has long exposed alleged corruption network in government infrastructure projects. “This issue is long overdue, this law should have been made long ago and should not only be proposed, but it must be implemented,” he said.

He recently revealed a "highly organized" and deep-rooted corruption network in government infrastructure projects where some lawmakers allegedly receive kickbacks of up to 40 percent from public contracts.

These resurfaced after an inspection of the rock shed at Millsite, Camp 4, Kennon Road, Tuba, Benguet, on July 27, that collapsed at the height of typhoon “Emong.”

Magalong, as chairman of the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT), requested a third-party audit to prove transparency and give the public the true condition of the project, adding that the rock shed should be Class A level, especially since the funds allocated were sufficient.

He said the structure served its purpose of protecting the stretch from rock fall.

"There is also a need to determine if aside from natural factors, human factors such as design flaws and construction errors also played a role in the incident."

Magalong suggested that Kennon Road be privatized for better management. “For us to maintain it, we must privatize it and prevent it from becoming a money-making structure."

"The level of corruption is different today, there is so much money being poured in. If you count all the money spent on Marcos Highway and Kennon Road, that highway should be a Class A highway, but it's not! It's just a milking cow."

Magalong described the level of corruption in the government as ‘’beyond imagination,’’ with some government officials and contractors allegedly colluding to manipulate project bids and siphon off huge amounts of public funds.

He said corruption has become so systemic that the typical cut given to some lawmakers from government-funded projects reportedly amounts to 35 to 40 percent, a figure that, if proven true, drains a huge amount of money from the actual implementation of the project, resulting in substandard infrastructure and delayed services.