ALL reclaimed areas in Taguig City not covered by permits are subject to forfeiture in favor of the national government, whether they belong to the local government or private individuals, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Monday.
Lacson said this was made clear by officials of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) to him and his staff, as well as with officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
"All reclaimed areas that did not apply and secure permits from PRA are subject to forfeiture in favor of the national government. There is no distinction, whether those reclaimed areas belong to the LGU of Taguig or are titled under private individuals or corporate entities," he said.
Lacson also said the PRA and DPWH agreed that the DPWH will begin issuing cease-and-desist orders covering ongoing slope protection and mitigation projects in that area, following the discovery of 32 anomalous and suspected ghost projects in Taguig.
He pointed out that the denials made by Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano in his Facebook Live broadcasts are contradicted by the facts established so far by him and his team — and validated by the concerned agencies.
The multibillion-peso funding for the anomalous Taguig projects was allegedly secured through the national budget by sibling-senators Alan Peter and Pia Cayetano.
Lacson previously accused Alan of holding the Office of the President’s (OP) budget “hostage” during the November 2025 plenary deliberations to pressure the PRA — which is attached to the OP — into suspending its investigation into the Taguig reclamation.
While Lacson’s team is still calculating the total cost of the 32 slope protection contracts, he pointed to a P6.79-billion insertion made by Alan Peter Cayetano in the 2025 General Appropriations Act specifically for the area.
Cayetano has denied Lacson’s accusations, saying there are no ghost flood control projects in Taguig.
Meanwhile, Lacson said the Office of the Ombudsman will soon initiate its fact-finding investigation into the exposes by him and his team on anomalous projects in Taguig.
Lacson and his team had turned over to the Office of the Ombudsman all the records and documents culled from the General Appropriations Acts and official government websites, including the relevant photos.
"In due time, the Ombudsman will issue subpoenas duces tecum and ad testificandum to DPWH and private witnesses after we also turned them over with their affidavits to the Ombudsman," he said.
