The action-drama series “Bagman” reentered conversations online after the Discaya couple named Rep. Arjo Atayde (Quezon City, First District) among the lawmakers who allegedly benefited from the flood control project kickback scheme.
Facebook pages and social media users posted screengrabs and other comments related to the iWant Original Series, which was headlined by Atayde before he became a lawmaker.
These include the entertainment website Cinema Bravo and REYVIEW, film and series reviewer.
Each of the posts has earned viral status, with Cinema Bravo’s upload amassing over 45,000 laughing reactions and REYVIEW’s upload gaining 11,000 laughing reactions.
Some social media users also expressed their sentiments following the Discaya’s allegations in a Senate hearing on Monday, September 8.
“Isinabuhay talaga niya ‘yung karakter niya sa Bagman! HAHAHAHA. Kung gulung-gulo na kayo sa mga eksena sa Senate, panoorin niyo na lang ‘yan,” a Facebook user said.
An X (formerly Twitter) user called the alleged situation “ironic.”
“Sobrang ironic lang, isipin mo casted si Arjo Atayde for Bagman, yet he still chose to be involved in these corrupt practices. Imagine, hihingi ka ng at least 20% of the budget??? Ang lala,” the online user wrote.
sobrang ironic lang, isipin mo casted si Arjo Atayde for Bagman yet he still chose to be involved in these corrupt practices. imagine hihingi ka ng at least 20% of the budget??? ang lala. pic.twitter.com/in6SmSLdYJ
— jey (@aiah_pot) September 8, 2025
“Bagman” is a 2019 socio-political action drama series on iWant that tells the story of Benjo Malaya, a neighborhood barber who becomes a “bagman” for a corrupt governor.
Atayde plays Benjo, a barber and a dedicated family man whose barbershop is about to get demolished to give way to the municipality’s road-widening project.
With a baby on the way, he agrees to do a task to keep his barbershop, where he eventually allows dubious transactions in exchange for extra money.
It does not take long before Benjo becomes a “bagman” for the governor, wheeling, dealing, and jumping from one entanglement to another in every political and societal institution he gets into.
But as he is sucked into this intoxicating and deadly game of lies, deceit, and power struggle, he decides he must move out of the shadows, use his acquired skill set to scale and conquer the country’s ladder of power to protect what is most important to him.
Atayde won Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Asian Academy Creative Awards for his role on the show.
Denial
Atayde has denied allegations that he is involved in the flood control projects kickback scheme, as claimed by construction firm owners Curlee and Sarah Discaya.
“I categorically deny the allegation that I benefited from any contractor. I have never dealt with them. Hindi totoo ang mga akusasyon na ito,” he said in an Instagram Story on Monday, September 8.
“I have never used my position for personal gain. And I never will. I will avail of all remedies under the law to clear my name and hold accountable those who spread these falsehoods,” Atayde added.
His wife, “Eat Bulaga” host Maine Mendoza, likewise said that the claims against the actor-lawmaker were “baseless allegations.”
“Teka lang muna, those are baseless allegations. Please refrain from throwing hate and personal attacks at him, including me and our family, until facts come out. I am with my husband in this. Wala siyang ginagawang masama sa loob,” she wrote.
“He has been doing his best to serve the people of his district in Quezon City since the beginning. I sincerely hope and pray that the people who are TRULY responsible will be held accountable and that innocent individuals be spared from this mess. Napaka-unfair,” Maine added.
Teka lang muna, those are baseless allegations. Please refrain from throwing hate and personal attacks at him, including me and our family until facts come out. I am with my husband in this. Wala siyang ginagawang masama sa loob. He has been doing his best to serve the people of…
— Maine Mendoza (@mainedcm) September 8, 2025
The Discayas
The Discayas on Monday named lawmakers whom they claimed received kickbacks from their projects amid the probe into the supposed irregularities concerning flood control initiatives.
Curlee claimed that whenever their firm won a bid, they were asked to give 10% to 25% of the project’s value as a kickback.
In their affidavit, they alleged Atayde was among those who allegedly requested payments.
Sarah claimed that district engineers and regional directors of the Department of Public Works and Highways, as well as chiefs-of-staff of lawmakers, offered projects said to be funded by the congressmen when their companies started winning in government biddings.
She said that they initially tried to decline the offer by reporting the scheme to the DPWH, but to no avail.
The Discayas were among those whose firms were tagged in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr‘s list of contractors who bagged the most number of flood control projects in the country.
Concerns about flood control projects were first raised by the president during his fourth State of the Nation Address, where he called out alleged corruption as flooding incidents worsened during the rainy season. — with reports from Philstar.com/Jean Mangaluz