Cayetano on Lacson’s Taguig reports: ‘I’m always the one being pointed to’

MANILA, Philippines — Senate minority leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday hit back at Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson over the latter’s latest allegations of continuous “illegal reclamation” on the Taguig side of Laguna Lake.

Cayetano said he appears to be the one to blame for whatever happens in the city.

“I am always the one being referred to,” he said in a Facebook livestream on Friday.

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“And whatever happens in Taguig, it is already my fault. Even though Taguig is a very large city and has 1.3 million Taguigeños,” the senator said.

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Cayetano was responding to Lacson’s post earlier Friday showing a video of a joint government inspection of 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.

Lacson’s video showed members of a joint inspection team from the Office of the Ombudsman, Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), Land Registration Authority, and Department of Public Works and Highways looking over the area.

Cayetano said he has no problem with government agencies investigating infrastructure and reclamations in Taguig.

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“Ombudsman, DOJ, NBI, private citizens – investigate because that is your right,” he said.

But Cayetano questioned Lacson’s involvement in the investigations.

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“What is not okay is Senator Lacson’s interference,” he noted.

Cayetano again denied that the reclamation shown in Lacson’s post was a project of the Taguig city government.

“That is not a project of the City of Taguig, the one that he posted. I don’t know that. It’s not personal to us. Whatever. We did not personally reclaim anything there,” he said.

During the Sept. 22 budget hearing for the Philippine Reclamation Authority, Cayetano clarified that the proponent of the lakeshore project in Taguig was the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), not the Taguig City government.

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