Former Pangasinan 4th District Representative Toff de Venecia has firmly denied accusations linking him to two alleged ghost flood control projects in his district, calling the claims baseless and politically motivated.
“I categorically reject the recent allegations regarding ‘ghost flood control projects’ in our district. These claims are entirely false and unfounded,” de Venecia said, stressing that all initiatives under his tenure were properly documented and delivered to intended communities.
The complaints were filed before the Office of the Ombudsman by the Samahan ng mga Operator at Tsuper ng Traysikel ng Pangasinan, accusing de Venecia and several DPWH officials of involvement in the supposed projects.
De Venecia questioned the credibility of the complainants, pointing to the involvement of Jaime Aquino, whom he described as a figure “with a well-documented history of repeatedly filing baseless and malicious claims” and who had been expelled from the National Press Club for violations of journalistic ethics.
“Equally concerning, the complainants themselves admit that they lack evidence and are requesting that the Independent Commission for Infrastructure and the Office of the Ombudsman conduct further investigation. In other words, this case was filed without any substantiating facts,” he said.
He added that he is prepared to present all necessary documents proving the legitimacy of each project and is considering legal action against those behind what he calls false and malicious accusations.
“The people’s trust has always been my guiding principle… I will not allow false accusations from discredited sources, filed without evidence, to divert our focus from serving the public good,” he affirmed.