LEYTE Rep. Richard “Goma” Gomez has stirred attention online after releasing a Facebook post that many observers saw as an apparent pointed rebuke of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin “Benjie” Magalong, who has been vocal in his criticisms of alleged corruption in Congress.
Gomez’s message, though not naming the mayor directly, carried remarks that appeared unmistakably directed at Magalong, telling him to “fix your own house first before pointing fingers at others.”
In the statement, Gomez began by casting doubt on the unnamed mayor’s frequent pronouncements against legislators, openly wondering about his motivations and his conduct in public discourse.
“Why is this city mayor making so much noise?” Gomez wrote.
The Leyte solon expressed his dismay at the mayor’s repeated accusations, describing them as a familiar tactic designed to gain attention and traction in the media.
He also challenged the image that the Baguio chief executive has cultivated as a corruption-free public official.
“It doesn’t surprise me anymore that this so-called ‘clean’ mayor is throwing accusations of corruption at us congressmen,” Gomez declared.
“Corruption has become the easiest issue to ride on nowadays, but let’s be honest, I don’t think this is all about corruption,” he added.
He then alluded to the friction between the mayor and the city’s own district representative, implying that the clash may be fueling the mayor’s rhetoric against members of Congress as a whole.
“If this is about his own congressman, who happens to bring in more projects for his district than he can for his city, don’t include all of us,” Gomez said.
The lawmaker stressed that if the mayor’s grievances are personal or rooted in local competition, then those concerns should be resolved without disparaging an entire institution.
“If you have a problem with your congressman, face him. Don’t drag all of us into your fight. Don’t discredit every congressman just to make yourself look good,” he added.
“You talk nonstop about corruption in Congress, why? Because it’s an easy headline?” he asked.
The Leyte representative then shifted the discussion toward the mayor’s City itself, presenting a grim picture of the local government’s challenges under Magalong.
He listed issues involving the environment, transport, waste management and urban development as problems that demand urgent attention.
“Meanwhile, your own city is drowning in problems: the air quality is getting worse, there’s not enough public transport, the waste disposal system is broken, the city is overcrowded, illegal structures are all over and the urban planning is in shambles,” Gomez pointed out.
That criticism culminated in the central message of his post, which served both as an admonition and a call for introspection on the part of the mayor he did not name.
“Maybe it’s time to fix your own house first before pointing fingers at others,” he said.
“Mahiya ka naman,” Gomez wrote.
