In a development that has rocked the political and entertainment worlds of the Philippines, the name of Congressman Juan Carlos “Arjo” Atayde is now embroiled in a massive corruption scandal involving flood control projects, which has, in turn, dragged dark secrets from his father’s past into the light. The testimony from whistleblowers has not only shaken Arjo’s nascent political career but has also resurrected a frightening chapter in his family’s history, forcing the public to question potential connections and the very nature of power.
The storm began during a hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee in early September 2025. There, whistleblower couple Sarah Discaya and Pacifico Curly Discaya bravely exposed a sophisticated network of “kickbacks” or “commissions” within government flood control projects. According to their testimony, certain officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and various lawmakers demanded kickbacks ranging from 10% to 25% of the project funds. If their demands were not met, the project’s implementation would be stalled or the contract would run into problems.
Among the names directly “pointed out” at the hearing, Juan Carlos “Arjo” Atayde, representative of Quezon City’s 1st District, and his father, Arturo Atayde, sent shockwaves through the public. They were on a long list of officials allegedly involved in this scheme, along with other congressmen such as Roman Romulo of Pasig, Jojo Ang of Puswag Ilonggo Partylist, and Patrick Michael Vargas of QC. High-ranking DPWH officials, including regional directors and district engineers in charge of flood control projects, were also accused of colluding with these figures.
The Discaya couple’s testimony painted a vivid picture of how they were forced to participate in this corrupt system. Allocating a portion of the project funds as “grease money” for officials and congressmen had become a routine procedure. And in the context of Quezon City, Arjo and his father were named as beneficiaries of these kickbacks.
Facing these serious allegations, Congressman Arjo Atayde was quick to respond. In a statement released on his Instagram Story on September 8, 2025, he staunchly denied all accusations, emphasizing that he would never use his position for personal gain. He also pledged to use all legal remedies to clear his name and hold those spreading false information accountable. However, public reaction was mixed. While some believed Arjo’s denial, the majority expressed skepticism online. His statement failed to quell the wave of criticism from netizens, who began digging into other aspects of his life they found suspicious.
As the scandal heated up, Maine Mendoza, Arjo’s wife—a well-known TV host and influential celebrity—could no longer stay on the sidelines. Though she has long kept a low profile on political issues, she could not remain silent when her family was accused of theft. On September 10, 2025, Maine posted a lengthy statement on Facebook to clarify the issue and condemn the “baseless” accusations against them. She expressed her heartbreak over the destructive comments they had received in the 48 hours since the news broke and stated that she refused to be quiet. Maine firmly asserted that everything they owned came from years of hard work and savings, and that they have always paid their taxes faithfully, respecting the very system they are accused of violating. She highlighted her own income and career, stating that it was soul-crushing to be told their expenses were funded by public money. Maine expressed full confidence in her husband’s innocence, stating that Arjo would never steal from the people. She said Arjo was ready to face the investigation and prove his innocence through legal means. Maine also warned that those who rush to judgment should be careful when the truth comes out, and she hoped the real culprits would be held accountable. She concluded her statement by saying, “Arjo has nothing to hide,” and suggested that not all politicians are corrupt; some are just easy targets, while the “real villains are celebrating quietly in the dark.”
However, even before this current scandal, Arjo and Maine were already under public scrutiny for their romance and lavish wedding. After confirming they were exclusively dating in March 2019, the couple held a grand wedding in 2023, attended by many famous personalities. But even this happy chapter was not immune to criticism. At the time, comments circulated on social media, sarcastically noting, “While you two are getting married, the people are suffering from typhoons.” This was a poignant jab, as their wedding coincided with a major typhoon hitting the Philippines, causing widespread flooding, including in parts of Quezon City.
Arjo’s extravagant proposal video at a luxury resort also drew public ire. Many joked that “even that might have come from the people’s money.” While said in jest, the tone online revealed a suspicion among some that their luxurious lifestyle, from the engagement to the wedding, could have been subsidized by ill-gotten wealth. Some comments were even more sarcastic: “We contributed to that wedding through our taxes,” implying that the public had indirectly paid for the grand occasion.
The scandal escalated as netizens noticed Arjo and Maine’s frequent overseas trips since Arjo was elected to Congress in 2022. According to Maine’s social media posts, it seemed the couple traveled monthly. The sharp-eyed internet “investigators” quickly compiled a long list of their trips to Japan, the United States, South Korea, and the United Kingdom in 2025 alone. For an ordinary government official, such frequent international travel is heavily scrutinized and difficult to get approved, especially more than once a year. This led to a wave of criticism from netizens, who questioned how Congressman Arjo could manage his district when he was absent almost weekly. Some even joked that the position of congressman should perhaps be a “freelance” job if one could be away from the office so often.
Amidst these luxury vacations, a photo surfaced that further stoked public anger. The picture showed Congressman Arjo Atayde watching a PBA game 7 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with friends. There would have been no issue, except for the presence of Henry Alcantara, the former district engineer of DPWH Bulacan, who was also named on the Discaya couple’s list. The photo showed Arjo, actor Zanjoe Marudo, and Henry Alcantara sitting next to each other in the courtside section, in the same row as actor Daniel Padilla. For many, “where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” This photo reinforced the critics’ belief that Arjo Atayde was involved in corruption, despite his denials. One Reddit user commented, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” suggesting that this single image told a complete story of collusion and corruption.
The situation was made worse by the fact that Arjo’s district was repeatedly hit by natural disasters. In July 2024, several areas in Barangay Santo Domingo and N.S. Amoranto, within Quezon City’s 1st District, were severely flooded. While residents struggled to evacuate and save their belongings, Arjo and Maine were on vacation in Greece. Then, in August 2025, Quezon City was hit by five consecutive typhoons, causing several areas in District 1 to be submerged again. Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte even had to declare a state of calamity. And at that time, Arjo and his wife were in Japan. This triggered the fury of netizens, who felt it was unjust for their representative to be enjoying life in first-world countries while his constituents were wading through floodwaters back home.
During this wave of criticism, netizens noticed something else suspicious: some of Arjo’s social media posts related to his vacations and personal assets seemed to have disappeared or been deleted. It was rumored that Arjo’s PR team had “cleaned up” his Facebook page, perhaps to reduce evidence that could be used against him in the investigation. However, the “screenshot warriors” of the internet are always one step ahead, having already saved many images and data about the congressman’s accumulated assets. One of these was their dream house, a large and lavish mansion said to be located in a high-end subdivision in Quezon City, possibly White Plains.
Netizens also astutely noticed a post on Arjo Atayde’s page showing him with a contractor called Wawa Builders for a flood control project worth Php 50 million; this post later disappeared. Wawa Builders is a construction firm that was recently blacklisted by the DPWH for its involvement in “ghost projects” and has been perpetually banned from any government projects. According to DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, the association of the name “Wawa” with the Ataydes further fueled public anger.
Along with the social media rumors, a list of projects in Quezon City’s District 1 also surfaced, showing that many flood control and infrastructure projects were behind schedule or incomplete. Critics quickly linked this to the congressman’s frequent absences. Some also complained that even the processing of paperwork and benefits at Arjo’s office was affected due to his frequent absences.
If the Atayde family’s vacations and assets were under scrutiny, their art collection also did not escape attention. A video clip circulated showing Arjo Atayde proudly displaying his collection of expensive artworks during a media interview at the Atayde family home. He was seen guiding the camera person around their house, which was filled with paintings and sculptures, saying he was “overwhelmed” by the number of pieces they had collected. However, instead of admiration, this clip only fueled the netizens’ anger. For the average Filipino, owning a painting by a national artist like H.R. Ocampo is an extreme luxury, with each piece worth millions. The fact that Arjo flaunted these paintings as if they were “chicken feed” made many question how he could spend so easily. Many even quipped, “Your art collection is worth millions, while the flood control project is multi-flood.” This art collection became a symbol of alleged wealth and greed, with some netizens connecting the artworks to public funds, implying that money meant for flood control was used to buy paintings. More serious accusations even suggested that spending on art in this manner is a form of money laundering.
The flood control project issue also reached the office of Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte. A few weeks before the scandal broke, Belmonte had mentioned forming a task force to validate the status of all DPWH flood control projects in QC. The mayor expressed deep concern over a report that as many as 141 DPWH projects in the city could be “ghost projects” or have anomalies. In an interview, Mayor Joy admitted that Arjo’s District 1 was one of the districts under close watch. She also revealed that some congressmen had “abandoned” her on the issue of flood control, allowing flawed projects to happen in their areas without consulting the city government. Four QC lawmakers, including Arjo, were also named in the Discaya couple’s affidavit. Belmonte expressed her frustration at being blamed for the flooding when there were funds allocated for flood control that were not used properly. At this point, Arjo was in an even more precarious position in the eyes of QC voters. He was not only being investigated for alleged ill-gotten wealth but also for alleged negligence of duty.
Even in the legislative field, Arjo Atayde’s name was tied to another recent controversy: his co-authorship of the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) Bill in Congress. The MIF was a controversial bill proposed in 2022 to create a sovereign wealth fund from government money. It sparked major concerns from economists and experts, who feared the MIF could be used for corruption, especially since its passage was rushed. To critics, the Maharlika fund was seen as opaque and ripe for abuse by corrupt officials. Arjo Atayde was listed as one of the co-authors of the Maharlika Bill, along with other administration allies like Rep. Sandro Marcos, Rep. Martin Romualdez, and Rep. Stella Quimbo. Many Filipinos were disappointed to learn that Arjo was one of the proponents of the Maharlika Fund. Although the MIF scandal is not directly related to the flood control issue, in the public’s eye, it added another “check” to the list of reasons for their disappointment in Atayde.
Now, as Arjo Atayde’s reputation is on the verge of collapse, another major explosion has shaken the public. The scandal involving his father, Arturo Atayde, in the early 1990s has been resurrected and widely discussed. An archived news article from United Press International (UPI), published on September 30, 1992, revealed Arturo’s alleged participation in a notorious kidnap-for-ransom syndicate. According to the article, Arturo Atayde was arrested in 1992 as the mastermind and financier of a group of kidnappers. General Lisandro Abadia, Armed Forces Chief of Staff, said that several members of this syndicate had been arrested, including government officials like an NBI agent, four personnel from the Bureau of Immigration, a soldier, and the wealthy businessman Arturo Atayde, who was said to be the financier and mastermind of the group. Their victims included American businessmen like Greg Stillwell and John Kigan, as well as several wealthy Filipino-Chinese, who had long been targets of this type of crime.
While this news shocked the public, Vice President Joseph Estrada, who was also the country’s anti-crime czar, quickly issued a statement. He called for the reimposition of the death penalty for kidnappers, especially if police and soldiers were involved. He also encouraged the Filipino-Chinese community not to be afraid to cooperate with authorities. The problem was that many victims did not report because they believed that high-ranking police officials were directly connected to the syndicates. Arturo Atayde was arrested in the financial district of Manila, and this was the beginning of his group’s downfall. Upon his arrest, he quickly admitted to being a member of the syndicate that kidnapped American businessmen Greg Stillwell and John Kigan. According to his testimony, he participated in the syndicate’s operations because he was confident that he was protected by his government official accomplices. Not only that, he also provided General Abadia with a list of four army generals and six police generals who were also allegedly connected to the syndicate. Although Abadia declined to comment on the list, Brigadier General Alfredo Filler, the Armed Forces Intelligence Chief, confirmed that Atayde had begun cooperating with authorities.
The syndicate was not only involved in multi-million peso ransom kidnappings but also in murders and a carjacking syndicate in Manila and other urban centers. The immigration agents were said to have helped provide information when potential foreign targets entered the country. It cannot be denied that this incident was a major blow to the country’s reputation. The series of kidnappings alarmed foreign investors, which was critical for the recovery of the Philippine economy at that time. As a result, President Fidel V. Ramos ordered the use of an elite intelligence unit to assist the police in preventing these cases.
The incident involving Arturo Atayde happened more than three decades ago. After that, he was seldom mentioned in the crime world. Eventually, he was prosecuted and may have become a state witness against the “bigger fish” by identifying the protecting generals. Perhaps he spent decades and returned to private life, starting a family with Sylvia and choosing to live quietly. However, now that his son is involved in a corruption issue, the memory of the past has resurfaced. The saying “like father, like son” has become a topic of discussion on the internet. Many even posted screenshots of the 1992 news with the caption “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” If the father was involved in a kidnapping syndicate back then, the son is now accused of being involved in a “flood control syndicate.” The term “syndicate” has become a catchphrase of angry netizens to describe the family.
However, it must be remembered that as of now, Congressman Arjo Atayde is only facing allegations. No criminal case has been filed against him in court. At the time of this recording, he strongly denies the accusations and maintains his innocence. The same goes for Maine and their entire family, all of whom are appealing for no judgment until there is concrete proof. Despite this, for the “Marites” and “Ju Dela Cruz Online” (gossipmongers and online commentators), they have already formed their own “Court of Public Opinion.” And in this social media trial, the congressman and his family seem to have already been judged. Some say, “where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” And with the “smoke” of controversy from the whistleblower testimony, the lavish lifestyle, the vacations, the connections to “ghost projects,” to the stain of the past, they are convinced that there is a “fire” of corruption burning underneath.
For now, this chapter is not over. The investigation by the Senate and even the Congress into the flood control scam is ongoing. Arjo Atayde continues to fight to clear his name, with the promise that he is ready to face any investigation. His wife and family also continue to support him, believing that they are just being dragged into this and are not as greedy as others say. You, the reader, do you believe the accusations against Arjo Atayde, and what do you think about his father’s alleged involvement in a syndicate?