Lacson submits Taguig flood control evidence to Ombudsman

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Tuesday said his office has turned over to the Office of the Ombudsman documentary and testimonial evidence it gathered on alleged anomalies involving flood control projects in Taguig City.

In a post on X, Lacson said the evidence was submitted to the anti-graft body for further evaluation and a possible motu proprio investigation.

He said the Ombudsman could also look into the possible filing of charges for plunder, malversation, and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

“Just as we thought last year that Bulacan was the microcosm of flood control project anomalies, Taguig is something else—employing old and new tricks, like passing off an illegal reclamation project as slope protection structures with several ghost projects, cases of double appropriations, recycled photos belonging to past and already completed contracts to bill and collect for new ones—all controlled by one person, dating as far back as 2019,” Lacson said.

Over the weekend, Lacson disclosed what he described as new evidence of alleged double billing and collection involving infrastructure projects in Taguig.

He said one case involved two supposedly different projects that used the same photo for billing purposes, while another involved a single slope protection project that received two separate budget appropriations.

Lacson linked the alleged anomalies to Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, who has denied claims of ghost infrastructure projects in Taguig and called for similar investigations into projects in other Metro Manila cities.

Cayetano’s wife, Lani Cayetano, is the incumbent mayor of Taguig.

“We hope the excellent research and investigative work that my staff did in this regard won’t be wasted and will contribute to the Ombudsman’s efforts to expedite their investigation,” Lacson said.

“We will continue to submit to the Ombudsman whatever pieces of evidence we can still secure to help them achieve our shared crusade against graft and corruption,” he added.

Cayetano, for his part, took to Facebook to welcome Lacson’s submission of evidence to the Ombudsman, saying he would answer the allegations in the proper forum.

“I was just informed na may finile si Senator Panfilo Lacson sa Ombudsman. I welcome that because in the same manner that I tell everyone that kailangan ng accountability, same din naman. Ang sabi ko lang naman, sa tamang venue, tamang panahon,” he said.

(I was just informed that Senator Lacson filed evidence with the Ombudsman. I welcome that because, in the same manner that I tell everyone there must be accountability, the same applies here. All I’m saying is that these matters should be addressed at the proper venue and at the proper time.)

Cayetano said he was surprised that the alleged anomalies in Taguig were being compared with those in Bulacan, but reiterated that he was prepared to face the accusations against him.

“Ingat lang po tayo sa mga malicious accusations. Alam niyo ba kung ano malicious? Malicious is mali, meaning wrong, pero delicious. Ibig sabihin, masarap pakinggan. Kaya malicious, di ba?” he said.

(Let us be careful about malicious accusations. Do you know what malicious means? Malicious is “mali,” meaning wrong, but “delicious”—meaning it sounds good to hear. That’s why it’s malicious, right?)

“Kung from his point of view, he thinks valid yung accusation, then I'll respect that but from my point of view, it's malicious because nga hindi ko alam kung ano exactly at bakit ganun ang accusations…but as I told you, always ready to face the consequences. May cost parati po talaga ang lahat ng ating pakikibaka, ang lahat ng ating struggle, maging opposition man o administrasyon,” he added.

(If, from his point of view, he thinks the accusation is valid, then I’ll respect that. But from my point of view, it’s malicious because I don’t know exactly what the accusations are or why they are being made. But as I told you, I am always ready to face the consequences. There is always a cost to every fight and every struggle, whether you are with the opposition or the administration.)

Lacson, a former chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, had also accused Cayetano of securing P6.79 billion in budget insertions.

He also alleged that several projects in Taguig were left unfinished.

In a later statement, Lacson said he was gathering witnesses and additional evidence that could establish Cayetano’s alleged involvement in the purported irregularities. — MCG, GMA News