Lacson rejects alleged ceasefire offer on anomalies in Taguig flood control projects

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Thursday rejected an alleged “ceasefire” offer which he claimed was made following his exposé involving the alleged anomalies in the flood control projects in Taguig City.

Lacson did not name who called for a ceasefire but said it was from “someone who had arbitrarily and indiscriminately opened fire without provocation.” He also called the offer as “hypocrisy aimed at buying time to recover and reconsolidate for his next sneaky move."

“Ceasefire my foot! Anong uri ng tao ang magde-declare ng giyera, toy gun ang dala, at laway ang bala; pag na-confront ng bomba, magre-request ng ceasefire, pabulong pa?" Lacson said on X (formerly Twitter).

(Ceasefire my foot! What kind of man declares war, armed with a toy gun and with just his saliva as ammunition, then uses intermediaries to ask for a ceasefire when confronted by real bombs?)

The development came days after his office turned over to the Office of the Ombudsman the documentary and testimonial evidence they have gathered in relation to the alleged anomalies, including supposed double billing and collection involving infrastructure projects in Taguig.

Lacson linked the findings to Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, who refuted claims of ghost infrastructure projects in Taguig City and called for an investigation in other cities in Metro Manila. Incidentally, Cayetano's wife, Lani, is the current mayor of Taguig.

According to Lacson, he would also present the "delicious" details of the anomalies during the continuation of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings on the flood control scandal.

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

Several projects in Taguig were also allegedly left unfinished, Lacson said. In a later statement, Lacson said he was gathering enough witnesses and evidence that could show Cayetano's involvement in the alleged corruption.

‘Malicious’

Cayetano has since denied any involvement in the alleged anomalies.

He recently 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?) — RSJ, GMA News