MORE cases of double billing and collection involving infrastructure projects in Taguig City have been uncovered, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said Monday.
In a statement posted on his social media, Lacson said the additional projects also involved the “sharing” of photographs of anomalous infrastructure projects for billing and collection purposes.
“TAGUIG GHOST INFRA PROJECTS UPDATE #5: Before some preacher dismisses ‘sharing photographs’ to bill and collect in Taguig’s anomalous infra projects as an isolated case, there are more of the same in our files,” Lacson said.
“All these and more, including the proof of the money trail will find their way to the Ombudsman soon,” he added.
The latest disclosure builds on evidence Lacson released Sunday of double billing and collection involving infrastructure projects in Taguig, the bailiwick of Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano.
In a statement on Sunday, Lacson cited “two different projects, two distinct appropriations, two different technical descriptions and locations, two different contractors, but sharing the same photo for billing purposes.” Both projects had been “billed and collected.” He also said there is evidence that a single slope protection project received two separate budget appropriations.
Multiple appropriations for the same project were also previously flagged at the height of the flood control scandal investigations.
Lacson had pointed out that Cayetano had nearly P7 billion in budget insertions for the 2025 General Appropriations Act to fund 70 infrastructure projects in Taguig.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Cayetano said he was ready to face corruption allegations raised by Lacson.
“He must really care about me because when he wakes up in the morning, I’m the first person he thinks of,” Cayetano said. “Since May 11, when I took the job, I knew that many acts of persecution would come my way. What I didn’t expect was that it would come through a senior senator whose investigative skills many people admire. But every day, he seems to make small amendments to his allegations.” “But what he said today — I don’t know where it came from. I’m not the secretary of the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways). I’m not a regional director. I’m not an engineer. But of course, I’m from Taguig, so as much as I can, I monitor these projects. That’s on record,” he added.
Cayetano said the allegations could have stemmed from unscrupulous contractors that the city government had blacklisted.
“We have also exposed corrupt contractors involved in all sorts of wrongdoing, whether in our city or elsewhere,” he said.
“We’ve taken on many people in Taguig — many have been removed from their posts, whether in the local government, the national government, or among contractors. So those could be the ones filing complaints against us,” Cayetano said.
He urged the public to look at the “bigger picture,” claiming that those who investigate and criticize the government often become the subjects of investigations themselves.
Cayetano also called out double standards in looking at budgetary insertions. “When it’s from the minority, it’s an insertion. When it’s from the majority, it’s called an amendment. If you’re part of the majority, every senator can propose an amendment, and I’ll respond to it in the proper forum and at the proper time, even in front of all of you,” he said.
He said Lacson must “clearly lay out what he’s actually claiming — how much money, where it is, and so on. So is he saying that just because it’s in the budget and I’m from Taguig, I’m the one who inserted it?”.
