Lacson files evidence vs Taguig flood control projects at Ombudsman

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Tuesday, July 28, he had submitted pieces of evidence on alleged irregularities in flood control projects in Taguig City to the Office of the Ombudsman for review. Lacson’s allegations involved projects linked to Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, who denied claims of ghost infrastructure projects in Taguig City and called for investigations into similar projects in other Metro Manila cities. Cayetano’s wife, Lani Cayetano, is the current mayor of Taguig. The documents and testimonies were submitted to the anti-graft body for possible motu proprio investigation, Lacson said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He added that authorities were also looking into possible charges of plunder, malversation, and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Cayetano said he welcomed Lacson’s move to submit evidence to the Ombudsman, adding that he would address the allegations against him at the proper venue and time. Lacson’s move followed his pronouncements over the weekend about the alleged anomalies which included possible double billing and duplicate funding. Lacson said one case involved two projects that allegedly used the same photograph to support billing claims, while another involved a single slope protection project that received two separate budget allocations. He said, “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 added: “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.” The former Senate blue ribbon committee chairperson has accused Cayetano of securing P6.7 billion in budget insertions even as he alleged that several flood control projects in Taguig remained unfinished. Cayetano, meanwhile, took to Facebook and said he is for accountability but cautioned against what he called malicious claims. The two senators have traded accusations in recent weeks, with Lacson saying Cayetano’s remarks were an attack on his reputation. “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 Panfilo Lacson filed something with the Ombudsman. I welcome that because, in the same way that I tell everyone that there needs to be accountability, the same applies here. What I’m saying is that it should be done at the proper venue and at the proper time.) Cayetano also questioned the comparison between the alleged Taguig flood control irregularities and the anomalies previously uncovered in Bulacan, while maintaining that he was prepared to face any investigation. He said the accusations lacked basis, and he was not aware of the specific allegations being raised. Cayetano continued: “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?” (I’d just like to remind everyone to be careful about malicious accusations. Do you know what malicious means? It’s something that is wrong, but also delicious. It means it’s something that sounds good or appealing to hear. That’s why it’s called malicious, right?) He added: “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.” (If, from his point of view, he thinks the accusation is valid, then I respect that. But from my perspective, it’s malicious because I don’t know exactly what the accusations are or why they are being made. But as I’ve said, I am always ready to face the consequences. There is always a cost to every fight and every struggle we take on, whether we are in the opposition or the administration.) – Rappler.com