Composite image of Quezon City representatives Patrick Michael Vargas, Arjo Atayde, Marivic Co-pilar and Marvin Rillo.
MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City representatives Arjo Atayde, Patrick Michael Vargas, Marivic Co-Pilar and Marvin Rillo are among those named in the Independent Commission for Infrastructure’s request for Immigration Lookout Bulletin Orders.
The request letter from ICI chair Justice Andres Reyes Jr., sent to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday, October 8, is considered a major development in the investigation into irregularities in public works projects and infrastructure funds. The DOJ has since signed the order, directing immigration authorities to issue the bulletin.
The ICI is seeking to have domestic or foreign travel of more than two dozen current and former officials monitored, in effect alerting authorities should they leave the country and attempt to evade cooperation in the probe.
Atayde, an actor-turned-politician first elected in 2022, had issued a denial weeks earlier, after his name surfaced during Senate hearings in September on projects linked to controversial contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya.
Responding to a photo that surfaced on social media showing him with the Discayas in September, he wrote that he “has never dealt with” the contractor couple and had “never used [his] position for personal gain.”
Vargas (5th District), Co-Pilar (6th District) and Rillo (former 4th District representative) were also included in the ICI’s list but have yet to comment on the ILBO request.
Two weeks after Atayde issued his denial, however, the Discayas claimed at a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on September 18 that they would deliver paper bags of cash to officials in Quezon City. The couple also implicated Atayde and his congress colleagues Vargas and Co-Pilar in the sworn affidavit.
Ghost, duplicate projects in QC
The inclusion of Quezon City lawmakers comes amid findings that since 2022, it hosted more than DPWH-funded flood control projects valued at some P17 billion. Many are either substandard, duplicated or missing altogether. Of this, only two were coordinated with the city government and not aligned with the city’s drainage master plan.
There, investigators have also flagged “ghost” projects, or works that are recorded on paper but have no tangible build on the ground. There were also mismatches in project data. In one instance, flood control works at multiple locations were awarded to different contractors yet bearing identical bid amounts, a pattern suggestive of collusion or bid rigging.
Mayor Joy Belmonte earlier this week confirmed that Quezon City had revoked the business permits of Discaya-linked companies and terminated four ongoing projects after the contractors failed to justify their compliance with city requirements.
Other NCR officials named
Other Metro Manila politicians in the ILBO list include:
- Rep. Roman Romulo (Pasig), who had issued a statement in September that the Discayas’ allegations against him are “not true.” He is an ally of Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto, who first exposed the Discayas’ schemes after Sarah sought to replace him as mayor in the 2025 mid-term elections.
- Rep. Marcy Teodoro (Marikina); and
- Makati Mayor Nancy Binay, who transitioned from the Senate to local government in May. She had also denied any involvement in the alleged kickback schemes.
The ILBO request also covers high-ranking figures such as Rep. Martin Romualdez (Leyte, former House speaker), Sens. Chiz Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva and former Sen. Bong Revilla Jr.
Several DPWH district engineers and Commission on Audit officials would also be on the Bureau of Immigration’s lookout bulletin.
Reyes, chair of the investigating unit, said the lookout order is “of utmost necessity to hold those liable accountable to the Filipino people.”
