President Marcos has ordered his legal team to study the appointment of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong as special adviser to the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI), following questions raised over possible conflicts of interest.

Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said this after labor groups raised concerns that Magalong might affect the commission’s independence, citing a supposedly anomalous Baguio City tennis court project linked to St. Gerrard Construction of the embattled Discaya contractor couple.

In a press briefing on Friday, Sept. 26, Castro said that while the President values Magalong’s contributions, he does not want the ICI’s independence compromised by concerns over impartiality or constitutional limits.

“Kung may issue po tungkol sa conflict of interest at paglabag sa Konstitusyon dahil nagdadalawang pong trabaho siya, ang sabi po ng Pangulo ay ipapaaral na ito sa legal team at kung saan po siya maaaring maisama, or saan po siya nararapat, doon po siguro siya pwedeng isama (If there are issues of conflict of interest or constitutional violations due to holding dual roles, the President said the legal team will study where he should properly be placed),” she said.

The Palace Press Officer clarified that Magalong was appointed only as a special adviser and not as an investigator.

“Wala po siyang power over the PNP and CIDG dahil ito po ay under sa DILG (He was not appointed as an investigator and has no power over the Philippine National Police and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group as these are under the Department of the Interior and Local Government),” she said.

Castro added that the President also wants to ensure that Magalong can still prioritize his duties as Baguio City mayor, amid reports that his role in the ICI has limited his time for local governance.

“Hindi po gugustuhin ang Pangulong Marcos Jr. na makaligtaan ni Mayor Magalong ang mga kababayan natin sa Baguio City. At kailangang unahin po rin ang mga kababayan natin sa Baguio City dahil siya po ay special adviser (President Marcos does not want Mayor Magalong to neglect his constituents in Baguio City, who should remain his priority),” she said.

She noted that the legal team is expected to provide recommendations on whether Magalong should be reassigned or replaced, depending on what would best preserve the commission’s independence.

Meanwhile, Castro addressed the recent appointment of former Supreme Court spokesperson Brian Hosaka as ICI executive director.

She clarified that the selection did not come directly from the President, but from the ICI members themselves.

“Ang pagpili po kay Atty. Brian Hosaka ay hindi galing mismo sa Pangulo dahil binibigyang-diin po niya ang independence ng ICI sa pagpili (The choice of Atty. Brian Hosaka did not come from the President, who emphasizes ICI’s independence in its selection),” Castro said.

“Nung ito ay napili na po ng ICI members, yun lamang po ang kinonsidera kaya ito na-appoint ng Pangulo (Once he was chosen by its members, the President simply formalized the appointment),” she added.