Quezon City Representative Juan Carlos ‘Arjo’ Atayde has maintained that there are no ghost projects in his district, saying that he has inspected flood control and drainage clearing initiatives under his jurisdiction.
Atayde, in a statement on Saturday, said that there are no bases for claims that there are ‘ghost projects’, or non-existent projects that have been paid using public funds, within Quezon City’s first district.
According to the actor-turned-politician, there might be a need for ‘proper coordination’ to ensure that the information being released is accurate.
‘There are no ghost projects with us. There’s no ghost in District One. There’s no basis for claims that these exist. Maybe there’s just a need for proper coordination so information about the projects is accurate,’ Atayde said.
The lawmaker said he visited flood control sites in Barangays Bahay Toro, Del Monte, Project 6, and San Antonio-confirming findings from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Quezon City 1st District Engineering Office (DEO).
Atayde said that a September 19 letter from DPWH’s Quezon City DEO showed that ‘all projects are verifiable on site,’ referring to the seven projects questioned due to alleged lack of coordinates.
DPWH said that out of the 66 alleged ghost projects reported, only seven were in Atayde’s district. However, these projects were either completed or ongoing, with proper documentation, correct coordinates, and photographic evidence.
Atayde said that of the seven projects, five have been completed, while two were suspended due to issues. Among the verified projects are:
four flood control structures along Culiat Creek and Dario Creek in Barangay Bahay Toro
rehabilitation of Drainage Road 3 in Project 6
West Riverside Pumping Station in Barangay Del Monte
flood control structure along San Francisco River in Barangay San Antonio
Atayde said five of the seven projects were completed, while two were suspended due to pending issues.
‘The projects are not ghosts-they can be seen, touched, and are beneficial. It looks like Halloween came early for some people,’ he added.
Furthermore, Atayde said that he did not have a hand in the projects as these were part of the National Expenditure Program (NEP) or the budget submitted by the executive branch to Congress, which means the projects were already planned before the House got a chance to scrutinize the items.
Also, Atayde said he cannot ‘unilaterally include them’ in the General Appropriations Act or the Congress-approved and President-signed budget, as he is not a part of the bicameral conference committee-made up of a contingent from both the House of Representatives and the Senate, tackling differences in their proposed budgets.
‘We all want to end corruption and jail the corrupt, but we won’t succeed if we punish the wrong people,’ he said.
‘The evidence speaks for itself, and the evidence speaks the truth,’ he added.
Atayde has been criticized over the past few weeks for his alleged involvement in flood control projects, after contractor-couple Pacifico ‘Curlee’ Discaya and Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya mentioned his name during a Senate hearing as among the House lawmakers who allegedly received payoffs in exchange for projects to push through.
Atayde, like other lawmakers, however, denied benefiting from any contractor. According to the lawmaker, old photos of him with the Discayas were taken from an unplanned meeting where they only exchanged pleasantries.
Atayde said he ‘never dealt’ with the couple, claiming that he had never and will never use his position for personal gain.