Laguna 4th district Rep. Benjamin Agarao Jr. on Tuesday, Dec. 2, denied that he personally knew the controversial contractor-couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya, who linked him to the anomalous flood control projects.

Appearing at the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) hearing, which was livestreamed for the first time, Agarao said he was surprised when the Discaya couple tagged him during an earlier Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, especially since he also denied having any dealings with them.

He said he did not have any idea on the motive of the couple in implicating him in controversy, especially when the alleged flood control project they cited was implemented at the time he was not a sitting House member.

Agarao was a congressman from 2004 to 2007, from 2013 to 2022, and from July 2025 until the present.

The period that the couple cited when the project was implemented was during the term of his daughter, former congresswoman Jam Agarao, who he defended as even "kinder" than him.

The Discayas also claimed that they gave Agarao an "exotic bulldog" on top of giving him P9 million in advance as kickbacks for an upcoming project in his district.

"Di ko po alam ano po 'yung motibo ng mag-asawang Discaya. Wala po akong masabi kasi nga po hindi po ako nakaupo doon sa sinasabi nilang panahon (I don't know the Discaya couple's motive. I cannot say anything about it because I wasn't even a sitting congressman during the period they cited)," he said.

Agarao said "he does not know the Discayas personally".

"Sa tingin ko po malaking paratang, talaga po ang pamilya ko po'y naapektuhan na ng husto. Wala po ako makitang motibo eh kung bakit po ako nakasali (I believe that what they made was really a heavy accusation because my family was really affected by it. I cannot see their motive why they had to implicate me)," he said.

"Ayaw ko pong palampansin ang kalapastanganang ginawa ni Discaya sa aking pagkatao (I don't want to let pass the dishonor that Discaya caused to my being)," he added.

After Agarao denied his personal knowledge about the Discayas, ICI chairperson retired Supreme Court (SC) associate justice Andres Reyes Jr. asked the lawmaker if he knew of a certain Alvin Mariano, who the couple claimed was the one in touch with Agarao.

"Meron po akong natatandaan, 'yung Alvin Mariano po, nakikipagkontrata po yan sa aming district (I remember something, that Alvin Mariano was doing some contracting in our district)," Agarao said.

The Laguna solon said he knew Mariano as a contractor but noted that he "does not have any long-time relationship" with him. Agarao said was an engineer, which ICI apparently was not aware of.

"Doon po sa term ko, di ko po nakilala si Engineer Alvin Mariano (It wasn't during my term when I met Engineer Avin Mariano)," Agarao said.

"Ah, engineer pala sya (Oh, he's an engineer?)" Reyes said.

"Contractor po 'yan, justice. Hindi ko po kilala po yan. Baka po itong mga nakaraan, noong sumasali na po sila [sa biddings] (He was a contractor, justice. I hadn't known him. Maybe, just recently, when he started participating in the biddings)," Agarao said.

The ICI chairman then repeated his question if Agarao said Mariano, to which the lawmaker answered in an affirmative.

"Baka po sa pagitan ng 2022 to 2025... wala po ako sa pwesto (Maybe I knew him sometime between 2022 to 2025, when I wasn't a sitting congressman)," he added.

Mariano, who was requested to be placed under the Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO), was mentioned during ICI's flood control hearing as it appeared that he was among those who cornered several infrastructure projects in Agarao's legislative district.

"We want to find out sino yung Mariano kasi may nakikita na akong mga notorious contractors dito sa mga flood control po ninyo. Baka hindi nyo lang alam, nakapasok na 'yung sa distrito nyo. Kaya sila nagsasabi na may nanghingi ng advance doon sa distrito ninyo (We want to find out who that Mariano is because I am already seeing some notorious contractors here in your flood control projects. Perhaps you are unaware, but the kickbacks may have been sent under your district. That's why they are claiming that someone was asking for an advance in your district)," ICI commissioner Babes Singson said.

Regarding the infrastructure projects, Agarao admitted to lobbying for projects in Congress, but he said those were the ones requested by the barangays.

"Mag-rerequest po sila... Tapos mag-request sa Congress. 'Yun pong mga nirerequest ng mga barangay, may mga request [list] po 'yun (They were the ones making the requests, which would then be requested in Congress. Those requested by the barangays had a list)," he said.

His response came after Reyes asked him about the supposed P1.2 billion worth of infrastructure allocation for his district under the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

According to Agarao, the total amount of the request made by barangays under his district was only worth around P150 million. He was no longer aware of the around P800 million worth of projects that were set for implementation in his district.

"Di ko po alam 'yun your honor, kasi di po ako miyembro ng (House Committee on) Appropriations o ng Bicam (Committee). DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) po kasi ang nagsusubmit noon eh (I wasn't aware of that your honor because I wasn't a member of the Appropriations or the Bicam. It's the DPWH that submits the list of infrastructure projects)," he said.

"'Pagka po GAA na po, nalalaman na po natin. (It's only once the GAA is passed that we discover it)," he added.