SENATE Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano urged government agencies involved in projects around Laguna Lake to resolve reclamation issues in a dialogue.
During a recent Senate Finance Subcommittee hearing on the Philippine Reclamation Authority’s (PRA) proposed 2027 budget, Cayetano said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), and PRA should meet with concerned agencies to resolve issues in Laguna Lake projects.
“If you are talking about our city, you can investigate, everyone is open,” Cayetano said, referring to Taguig City, which has faced criticism over alleged illegal reclamation activities in the area.
“My issue is with DPWH, LLDA, and you (PRA). The three of you are government agencies. Why don’t you talk to each other?” the senator said.
During Cayetano’s questioning of PRA officials, they confirmed that the reclamation activities under scrutiny in Taguig are being implemented by the DPWH, not the Taguig City government.
PRA Assistant General Manager Joseph Literal identified DPWH as the implementing agency of the Taguig Lakeshore project, which had been issued a cease-and-desist order.
Literal also identified DPWH as the implementing agency of the Laguna Lake Road Network (LLRN), a project that Cayetano said is significantly larger than the Taguig Lakeshore project.
Literal answered in the affirmative when Cayetano asked whether the LLRN qualified as reclamation under PRA’s definition.
The senator questioned why a cease-and-desist order had been issued against the Taguig project but not the larger LLRN project if both involved reclamation activities.
Cayetano established during the hearing that neither project had secured a PRA permit before construction began, with responsibility for obtaining the necessary authorization resting with the DPWH.
“The root of the problem is not the city, not me, not anyone else — but DPWH’s lack of compliance,” he said.
Cayetano said DPWH had pursued the Lakeshore projects for years without securing the necessary PRA authorization, while PRA’s enforcement action came only after construction was already underway.
He questioned PRA’s coordination with Taguig officials before issuing the cease-and-desist order.
“You didn’t ask me. There are two senators from Taguig — Sen. Pia Cayetano and me. You didn’t ask the mayor. You didn’t ask the two congressmen,” he said.
Cayetano questioned the handling of documents requested by PRA, saying requests concerning land titles should have been directed through the Land Registration Authority.
He said Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon’s cease-and-desist order even though DPWH was identified as the project’s proponent was absurd.
“He ordered his own people to stop,” Cayetano said.
