By Leonel Abasola
MANILA – Senator Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday said portions of Laguna Lake allegedly reclaimed illegally by Taguig City should be forfeited in favor of the government.
In a post on X, Lacson said his team uncovered a “cauldron of worms” involving ghost slope protection projects and the illegal reclamation of portions of Laguna Lake following a meeting Monday evening with officials of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), including harassment tactics employed by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano.
“‘MALULUNOD SA KATOTOHAHAN (He will drown in the truth)’ … Our Taguig City case study has opened a ‘cauldron of worms’ after my meeting with Philippine Reclamation Authority officials last night – from ghost slope protection projects to illegally reclaimed tracts of land covering Laguna Lake,” he said on X.
“Aside from the PRA and the Ombudsman, we will closely coordinate with the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) central office, LLDA (Laguna Lake Development Authority) and other concerned agencies not only to jail the crooks behind these grossly anomalous and patently illegal activities but also forfeit the already reclaimed Lakeshore areas in favor of the national government. There is no turning back!” he added.
According to Lacson, PRA officials confirmed the harassment tactics employed by Cayetano during budget deliberations last November 2025, when the budget for the Office of the President was taken up for plenary debates. The PRA is under the OP.
“The same officials likewise disclosed physical intimidation when they conducted an onsite inspection along C6 in the Lakeshore area where the illegal reclamation activities are taking place,” Lacson said.
Last weekend, Lacson cited evidence linking Cayetano to reclamation projects along Taguig’s lakeshore development that lacked the required permits from agencies including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
The projects were funded using appropriations in the national budget that were meant for slope protection projects.
At the time, he said resource persons who knew about this were harassed and intimidated, especially during committee hearings.
According to Lacson, the evidence points to Cayetano virtually controlling DPWH operations and other related activities in Taguig City, with district engineers being replaced if they acted without his approval, along with a possible 33-percent kickback structure in infrastructure projects in the city. (PNA)
