Quezon City 1st District Rep. Juan Carlos “Arjo” Atayde has refuted allegations that his office is linked to “ghost projects,” asserting that all flood control and drainage works in his district are verifiable and legitimate.
“There are no ghost projects with us. There are no ghosts in the first district,” Atayde said after inspecting several project sites in Bahay Toro, Del Monte, Project 6, and San Antonio. He added that the claims were unfounded, stressing that “maybe there’s just a need for proper coordination so information about the projects is accurate.”
Atayde was among several lawmakers named by contractor couple Pacifico and Cezarah Discaya during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, where they alleged some legislators received kickbacks from flood control projects.
According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Quezon City 1st District Engineering Office, all seven projects in Atayde’s district that were questioned have been verified on site. The agency confirmed in a September 19 letter that the projects were “completed or ongoing with proper documentation, correct coordinates, and photographic evidence.”
Among the verified projects are flood control structures along Culiat Creek and Dario Creek in Barangay Bahay Toro, rehabilitation works on Drainage Road 3 in Project 6, the West Riverside Pumping Station in Barangay Del Monte, and a flood control structure along San Francisco River in Barangay San Antonio. Five of the seven have been completed, while two remain suspended pending resolution of specific issues.
Atayde emphasized that all public funds were spent properly and rejected insinuations of wrongdoing. “They can be seen, touched, and are beneficial. It looks like Halloween came early for some people,” he said.
He further clarified that he could not have personally benefited from the DPWH projects since these were already part of the National Expenditure Program and outside his authority to alter. “We all want to end corruption and jail the corrupt, but we won’t succeed if we punish the wrong people,” he said, adding, “The evidence speaks for itself, and for the truth.”
