Ping flags Taguig lake reclamation

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo Lacson has flagged ongoing reclamation in Laguna de Bay in Taguig as among the alleged anomalous flood control projects tied to Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano.

Speaking to One News’ “Storycon” yesterday, Lacson said Cayetano exercised control over public works projects in the city.

According to the senator, several reclamation projects along Taguig’s lakeshore development were not issued permits by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources but were still titled by the local government because officials feared being reprimanded by Cayetano during Senate hearings.

Lacson said the reclamation projects were funded using appropriations intended for slope protection projects in the national budget, including alleged double appropriations for a single project.

He said Cayetano had P6.79 billion worth of “allocables” for Taguig under the 2025 General Appropriations Act and a total of P14.4 billion worth of infrastructure projects in the city from 2020 to 2025.

Cayetano effectively controlled all public works projects in Taguig, Lacson said, adding that district engineers could not act without the senator’s knowledge or approval.

As part of his investigation, Lacson identified five case studies of allegedly anomalous flood control projects, including overlapping slope protection works, double appropriations of up to P100 million and the use of identical geotagged photographs in progress billing reports.