FACT CHECK: No proof of Romualdez ‘using’ Atayde to cover up flood control scandal

The Discayas implicated both Atayde and Romualdez in the flood control scandal, naming them as among the politicians who allegedly demanded bribes related to flood control projects

Claim: Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez is covering up his own role in the flood control scandal by focusing public attention on the alleged involvement of Quezon City 1st District Representative Juan Carlos “Arjo” Atayde, according to evidence released by the actor-turned-politician.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The video containing the claim was posted on October 28 and has garnered 581 likes and 6,700 views on YouTube. It is also being shared on various social media sites and groups, including Facebook.

In the video, the narrator says, “Arjo Atayde ginagamit lang panakip butas sa issue ni Martin Romualdez.”

(Arjo Atayde is just being used to cover up Martin Romualdez’s issue.)

Text on the video’s thumbnail reads: “Maine Mendoza, Arjo Atayde ginagamit ni Romualdez. Atayde nilabas ang ebidensya.“

(Maine Mendoza, Arjo Atayde [are being] used by Romualdez. Atayde released evidence.)

The YouTube channel, “JAY GUEVARRA TV,” has over 491,000 subscribers and has been consistently posting vlogs about the government and various social issues.

The video was posted amid the flood control scandal, in which both Atayde and Romualdez were accused of receiving kickbacks in anomalous flood control projects. The narrator alleges that Romualdez is seeking to cover up his own role in the flood control mess by using Atayde’s case as a political diversionary tactic.

The facts: Atayde has not released proof supposedly showing that Romualdez is “using” him to divert attention away from his own alleged involvement in the flood control mess. The video does not provide any evidence to support this claim.

The video merely presents the narrator’s own commentary on the flood control issue. Both lawmakers were implicated in the scandal after government contractors Sarah and Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya named Romualdez and Atayde as among the politicians who allegedly demanded commissions from their firms. (READ: Congress, contractors, conflict, corruption: A list of Rappler exclusives)

In a social media story on September 8, Atayde denied the allegations, stating that he “never dealt with the Discayas” and that he has “never used [his] position for personal gain.”

Images obtained by Rappler, however, showed Atayde appearing to pose for photos with the Discayas. Atayde’s wife, Eat Bulaga host Maine Mendoza, publicly defended her husband, stating that the photo showing him with the Discayas was taken out of context.

Meanwhile, Romualdez also refuted the allegations and called the couple’s claims “malicious and false.” The former speaker said, “If anyone invoked my name, they did so without my knowledge and without my consent. I have never, and I will never, accept a bribe from anybody.”

Probe ongoing: In September, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) was formed to investigate alleged corruption in the government’s flood control projects.

Romualdez appeared before the ICI on October 14, saying his meeting was about “sharing facts [and] evidence, and [not] just political noise and speculation.”

Meanwhile, Atayde said in a statement on October 27 that there were no “ghost” projects in his district following the Quezon City government’s findings of at least 35 missing flood control works across the city. According to Atayde’s office, five of the seven “missing” flood control works in his district are completed, while two are suspended.

Debunked: Rappler has previously debunked several false claims involving Atayde, Romualdez, and the Discayas:

– Reinnard Balonzo/Rappler.com

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