SENATE Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said that Taguig Lakeshore had not been neglected or wasted under Taguig’s management contrary to claims by Sen. Panfilo Lacson that billions in government funds were wasted on flood control and infrastructure projects in the area.
Cayetano said Lakeshore had been actively used for various private and public functions.
“The Lakeshore has not been wasted and will not be wasted. Let’s not let politics rob this generation and future generations of the opportunity to reap its benefits,” he said in a statement posted on his social media account on Monday.
This comes after Lacson said P3.713 billion in completed, ongoing, and suspended projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) within alleged reclamation areas in Taguig may have been wasted.
Lacson pointed to other alleged irregularities, noting the findings would be submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman.
Cayetano warned that this kind of partisan politics could derail efforts to address corruption in government infrastructure projects like flood control, stressing the need for evidence-based investigations.
“If there is evidence against DPWH, Taguig, or against me, then present it. Stop the theatrics and let the evidence do the talking set in the proper judicial venue where fairness is assured,” Cayetano said.
“The honest search for solutions is overshadowed by partisan politics. Corruption and flood control are perfect examples,” he added.
Cayetano said the focus should remain on solving problems and ensuring that public funds and government efforts are directed toward projects and reforms that benefit Filipinos.
“Every hour the government spends on political warfare instead of solving problems is wasted. Every peso spent on projects that do not serve the people is wasted. Every opportunity to reform a broken system sacrificed for personal or partisan advantage is wasted,” he said.
Cayetano claimed over the weekend that the parcels of allegedly illegally reclaimed land, including an 18-hectare property, could go to the government.
Lacson said the government may not simply stand to gain from the questioned areas, since at least 38.83 hectares are covered by land titles registered to private individuals.
“Maybe so, except that those titles (38.83 hectares total, so far) are registered to private individuals. We have their names as well as the OCT (original certificates of title) and TCT (transfer certificate of title) numbers. We are digging further deep into it. WHAT IF IT WASN’T EXPOSED?” Lacson said in a social media post.
Over the weekend, Lacson said that four parcels of allegedly illegally reclaimed land in Taguig City have been initially identified as covered by “fraudulently” issued land titles.
The findings were based on materials provided by the Philippine Reclamation Authority to Lacson’s office.
At least four other parcels have no plotted title lots in the digital file of the Land Registration Authority (LRA), he added.
Lacson has asked the LRA to trace the history and origins of the properties. He described the evidence he and his staff have gathered on the illegal reclamation in Taguig City as solid.
“When something is this detailed and backed by official records, it’s probably difficult to dismiss it as ‘fake news,’” Lacson said.
“And if you’re going to bring politics into it — i.e., the claim that I supposedly plan to run for president in 2028 — watch me. My public service career ends when I finish my term as senator in 2031. I might even retire earlier. Fighting corruption in this country is exhausting and frustrating,” he added.
