Lacson calls out continuous ‘illegal reclamation’ in Taguig

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Friday called out what he described as continued “illegal reclamation” on the Taguig side of Laguna Lake.

He made the revelation as he shared a video taken during a joint government inspection of the area.

Lacson called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) in his post.

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He described what was seen during the inspection as a “total display of impunity and disrespect for the law.”

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The 25-second video showed members of a joint inspection team from the Office of the Ombudsman, Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), Land Registration Authority (LRA), and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) looking over the Taguig Lakeshore area.

“The illegal reclamation on the Taguig side of Laguna Lake continues unabated. Somebody feels he is above the law,” Lacson said in a separate post on X.

The remarks came more than a month after the DPWH issued cease-and-desist orders against alleged illegal reclamation projects in Taguig.

Taguig is the political stronghold of Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and his family. 

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Cayetano has been engaged in an ongoing public dispute with Lacson over the senator’s allegations on infrastructure and reclamation projects in the city.

The video shared by Lacson on Friday also appeared to show garbage or other material being pushed into the area.

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A man heard in the video asked whether the LLDA had personnel monitoring the site.

“Isn’t there anyone from the LLDA keeping watch here? Look at that. See? It’s being pushed, right? That’s garbage right there,” he pointed to the materials he was seeing.

According to Lacson, his office was informed that a cause-oriented group went to the Ombudsman’s office.

The group protested against the local government unit of Taguig for the alleged illegal reclamation in the lakeshore area. 

“The names they mentioned as responsible were former Assistant District Engineer of Taguig-Pateros, Lamberto de Leon, Atty. Joel Montales and a certain Arjay Castañeda – all connected to the Cayetanos of Taguig,” the senator enumerated.

Earlier, Lacson and his team submitted evidence to the Office of the Ombudsman on the alleged illegal reclamation and infrastructure projects in Taguig.

He said forfeiture alone is not enough. He urged the filing of cases against those who are responsible.

Meanwhile, Lacson was also quoted as saying that Cayetano “should face the issues head-on, instead of resorting to ad hominems (attack of a person) or trying to drag other people into the mess.”

Lacson said he has yet to hear an explanation, much less a denial, from Taguig officials, about the illegal reclamation activities.

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The Inquirer has sought Cayetano’s comment on Lacson’s remarks. It has yet to receive a response as of posting time. /apl