Lacson Probe Identifies 3 Alleged 'Bagmen' in Taguig Projects

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson revealed on Friday that his investigation into infrastructure projects in Taguig City has identified at least three alleged “bagmen.” Lacson made the disclosure while discussing the progress of his team’s probe into projects in Taguig, the political bailiwick of Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, amidst their ongoing public feud. Lacson stated that he initially thought Cayetano had only one bagman, but it now appears that at least three have been identified. Lacson did not identify the alleged bagmen or provide details about their supposed roles. However, he noted that several individuals have voluntarily approached his camp with information since he began publicly discussing alleged anomalous projects in Taguig, and this information is currently being vetted by his team. Lacson acknowledged that his public feud with Cayetano prompted him to “prioritize” looking into Taguig. He explained that he is retaliating because Cayetano has attacked his integrity, and he is not singling out the city. Lacson’s team has been scrutinizing infrastructure projects in Taguig, including suspected ghost projects, overlapping project spans, and two P100-million appropriations that he claims have identical locations and descriptions. Cayetano has maintained that there are no ghost projects in Taguig and has challenged Lacson to produce evidence to support his allegations. Lacson is also considering submitting the evidence gathered by his team directly to the Office of the Ombudsman instead of first bringing the matter before the Senate blue ribbon committee, as this could speed up the investigation. As of posting time, Cayetano has yet to respond to Inquirer regarding the matter.