MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has called for a multiagency investigation into alleged illegal reclamation activities in Taguig City as Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano urged authorities to ensure that the probe is conducted fairly and within the law.
Lacson said the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), Land Registration Authority (LRA), Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Office of the Ombudsman should combine their efforts to determine the extent of the alleged reclamation and those responsible for it.
“The reclamation aspect is addressed by the PRA. Concerns on Laguna Lake are addressed by the LLDA. The DENR is involved because garbage is being dumped there. For infrastructure projects, that’s the DPWH. And for cases, the Ombudsman,” Lacson said in an interview with DWIZ radio on Saturday.
Lacson said he proposed the joint approach during a conference at his Senate office, citing what he described as a large area of Laguna Lake along the Taguig Lakeshore covered with garbage and filling materials. He placed the area at about 170 hectares.
“I will not dignify him, but I will continue to gather evidence,” Lacson said, referring to Cayetano.
Cayetano, meanwhile, said he fully supported investigations by constitutional and law enforcement bodies into alleged ghost and irregular projects in Taguig but insisted that the probes must comply with the law.
“We submit completely to all those constitutional principles, departments, bodies — whether it’s the Ombudsman, DOJ, NBI or whatever investigative body. Investigate because you have the right to. That’s why I say I respect all the ongoing investigations,” Cayetano said in a Facebook livestream.
“But the investigation has to be fair,” he added.
Cayetano said he objected to the manner in which Lacson was conducting his own inquiries into Taguig projects.
He accused Lacson’s team of pressuring contractors to sign prepared affidavits, which he described as coercion rather than fact-finding.
“When you put an affidavit in front of someone and say, ‘Sign that, otherwise I’ll have you charged,’ that’s asking him to give false testimony,” Cayetano said.
He said the investigation should be based on facts and proper procedures.
