ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Marcos picked Azurin as ICI investigator for his experience, competencies—Palace

Marcos picked Azurin as ICI investigator for his experience, competencies—Palace

Published Sep 30, 2025 01:47 pm  |  Updated Oct 1, 2025 01:43 pm
Former Philippine National Police Chief, General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. (Ret.) (File)
Former Philippine National Police Chief, General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. (Ret.) (File)
Former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. was selected by President Marcos to be a special adviser and investigator of the  Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) due to his experience and competencies, Malacañang said.
Azurin was appointed by Marcos on Monday, Sept. 29, following the resignation of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong from the ICI amid concerns about a supposed conflict of interest.
According to Palace Press Officer and Undersecretary Claire Castro, the President has tapped Azurin for his experience as an investigator, noting that there is also no complication in his appointment as he is not a politician.
"Kung sinuman po ang namili, ibibigay ko na lamang po sa inyo kung anong detalye diyan. Pero ayon po sa Pangulo, ang pagkakapili po kay Gen. Azurin ay base na rin po sa kanyang karanasan, sa kanyang mga kagalingan at siya naman din po ay imbestigador at walang komplikasyon – hindi po kasi siya pulitiko (Whoever made the selection, I will leave the details of that to you. But according to the President, choosing Gen. Azurin was based on his experience, his competencies, and the fact that he is an investigator and without complications—since he is not a politician)," Castro said in a Palace briefing on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
The Palace official also defended the President's decision, saying that although Azurin was once accused of allegedly covering up a drug haul in Manila in 2022, he was not charged for it.
"So, iyan po maliwanag, kayo na po nagsabi hindi nakasuhan. Kasi kung naakusahan lang, madali po kasing mag-namedrop, madaling magbanggit ng pangalan, madaling magturo lalo na ngayon pero iba po kasi kapag nakasuhan at nagkaroon ng desisyon ng conviction (So that is clear—you yourself said he was not charged. Because it is easy to name-drop, to mention names, to point fingers, especially nowadays. But it is different when someone is actually charged and there is a conviction)," Castro said.
Meanwhile, ICI director general  Brian Keith Hosaka clarified that it was not the ICI who selected and appointed Azurin.
Marcos formed the ICI to investigate alleged anomalies in public works, particularly ghost or substandard flood control projects worth billions of pesos.

Related Tags

Rodolfo Azurin Jr. ICI flood control probe flood control corruption President Marcos
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.