Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday challenged Sen. Panfilo Lacson to identify the specific infrastructure projects behind his allegations of irregularities in Taguig, as he maintained that, to his knowledge, there were no ghost projects in the city.
‘E, alin project nga yun? Alin project yun?’ (Which project is that? Which project are you referring to?’) Cayetano said in an ambush interview hours ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona).
Cayetano was responding to Lacson’s series of posts on X about allegedly anomalous slope protection and drainage projects funded under the 2025 national budget.
‘You cannot respond to an allegation if you don’t know what the allegation is,’ he added, speaking Filipino.
Cayetano said the allegations should be laid out in full, including the people, amounts and projects involved, for him to give a specific response.
Lacson has been posting online findings on what he called ‘Taguig ghost infra projects,’ including alleged duplicate appropriations and separate projects that purportedly used the same photograph for billing.
On July 18, Lacson said that of P6.79 billion in what he described as Cayetano’s ‘budget insertions’ under the 2025 General Appropriations Act, P6.715 billion had already been spent.
‘Out of his P6.79B budget insertions under the 2025 GAA, 68 out of the 70 projects were implemented. So, only 2 projects, equivalent to around P75M are left unreleased or unobligated. In short, a total of P6.715B ang nagastos,’ Lacson posted on X.
‘While you do the math, we will keep digging,’ he added.
Asked about the P6.79-billion figure, Cayetano said he was prepared to respond but wanted Lacson to specify the projects, amounts and basis for linking them to him.
‘If you’re in the minority, it’s called an insertion. If you’re in the majority, it’s called an amendment. When you’re in the majority, any senator can have an amendment. I will answer that in the proper forum and at the proper time, even in front of you,’ Cayetano said in Filipino.
‘But I want him to lay out exactly what he is alleging-how much, where, and so on. Is he saying that just because it’s in the budget and it’s in Taguig, I was the one who put it there?’ he added.
Lacson flags duplicate projects, billing photos
Lacson’s allegations became more specific in subsequent posts. On July 22, he said his team had initially documented at least two case studies involving P2.085 billion worth of slope protection and drainage projects. He later raised the amount to P2.385 billion after finding three additional P100-million projects.
‘Two items appear to be double appropriations, involving two (2)-P100M for the same slope protection project. One of the two must be ghost,’ Lacson wrote.
On July 26, Lacson alleged that two different projects, with separate appropriations, locations, technical descriptions and contractors, used the same photograph for billing. He said both had already been billed and collected.
He also cited ‘one slope protection project, one location, one technical description’ that allegedly received two separate budget appropriations, which he said were both billed and collected.
‘Are these not criminal acts?’ Lacson wrote.
In a July 27 update, Lacson said more similar cases had been found and that the evidence, including what he described as ‘proof of the money trail,’ would be submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman.
‘To my knowledge, walang ghost project’
Cayetano said he was neither a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) official nor an engineer, although he said that as someone from Taguig, he monitored projects in the city as much as he could.
‘[I said], to my knowledge, [there are no] ghost projects. I’ve said that again and again,’ Cayetano said.
‘I’m not the secretary of DPWH. I’m not the regional director. I’m not an engineer. But of course, [I’m from Taguig]. So as much as I can [I keep an eye on things]. It’s on the record.’
Cayetano also said he had not made some of the statements or taken some of the actions Lacson had attributed to him. He cited his previous scrutiny of a bridge that collapsed in Isabela and contractors he had accused of wrongdoing as examples of his record in investigating questionable projects.
‘I never said certain things that he says I’m saying or doing,’ Cayetano said. ‘But when we uncover something wrong, you saw me practically holding the hearing here by myself on the bridge that collapsed in Isabela. I also exposed corrupt contractors and what they were doing, whether it’s in our city or otherwise.’
‘Until now, that contractor has not been charged,’ he added.
He said he had previously pursued questionable contractors and officials and would also face Lacson’s allegations.
‘So we’ve made many enemies in Taguig, and many people have been removed, whether from the local government, the national government, or among contractors. So perhaps they’re the ones making these complaints. They should just verify them carefully. But we will face the allegations,’ Cayetano said in Filipino.
‘We have no choice but to face them,’ he added.
Cayetano, however, said the public should also consider what he described as the ‘bigger picture,’ claiming that people who investigate or criticize the administration were themselves becoming subjects of investigation.
‘All we’re asking is for people to see the bigger picture-that those who investigate, those who criticize, suddenly become the ones they want investigated,’ he said in Filipino.
‘We’re not backing away from that, but we shouldn’t be singled out. There are many others. I have a long list of things that can be looked into,’ he added.
He said he would address the allegations after the Sona and what he called the ‘Kontra-Sona,’ along with issues surrounding the impeachment.
‘Then we’ll have all the time for both impeachment and allegations of corruption. But we will face them,’ Cayetano said.
He also questioned why Taguig appeared to be singled out, saying investigations into questionable infrastructure should cover other areas as well.
‘When they brought up Discaya, I said, investigate everything-Pasig, Baguio, the entire Philippines. It’s been a year, and there’s still no report. Then after a year, suddenly it’s Taguig. Right?’ he said in Filipino.
‘So we cannot just remain silent. If the intention is to silence us, sorry,’ he added.
Cayetano also defended his record in Taguig, saying strict rules had been enforced there while leaving open the possibility that irregularities could have escaped scrutiny.
‘You know me, you know my policies. Ask about our reputation in Taguig, whether we tolerate wrongdoing. The rules are strict. If something slipped through, let’s see,’ he said in Filipino.
‘You might not always like me, maybe more often you’re annoyed with me or not, but you know us. And people know us,’ he added.
Earlier in the interview, Cayetano said he had expected to face attacks after taking on his role as minority leader but was surprised that they were coming through a senior senator known for his investigative work.
‘When I took the job, I knew many persecutions would be coming my way. I just didn’t expect it would be through a senior senator whom many people admire for his investigation skills,’ Cayetano said.