At least P3.713 billion in public funds may have been wasted on flood control and multipurpose projects in reclamation areas of Laguna Lake in Taguig City, according to Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson.
Also on Monday, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano welcomed the scrutiny of land titles in his bailiwick, noting that his wife, Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano, had long wanted these properties examined.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has ordered a halt to reclamation projects in Taguig, saying it would soon ‘determine a way forward’ on this matter after consulting with ‘different stakeholders.’
Posting on X on Monday, Lacson said: ‘WASTED PUBLIC FUNDS DUE TO MISUSE: Based on official records and our investigation, the total cost of Identified completed, ongoing (and suspended) DPWH Flood Control and Multi-Purpose Projects along the ‘illegal’ Laguna Lakeshore Reclamation Areas in Taguig City has so far reached P3.713 billion.’
‘These do not include other anomalous Slope Protection and Flood Mitigation projects along Taguig River involving double appropriations and ‘ghost’ projects using recycled photographs in different ‘completed’ projects, for billing purposes,’ he added.
Lacson’s latest disclosure came following Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon’s announcement of cease-and-desist orders issued on the said projects, in line with a directive from the Office of the President through the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA).
Lacson said earlier that an investigation by his team has found reclamation activities on Taguig City’s side of Laguna Lake covering at least 85 hectares of land.
He said their latest findings would be among the evidence to be sent to the Office of the Ombudsman’s fact-finding team ‘for proper disposition.’
Contractors
In his post on X, Lacson also cited official records as well as his office’s investigation identifying the top five contractors involved in projects covering P2.372 billion:
Dahl Construction: P858.22 million covering five solo projects worth P571.5 million and four joint ventures totaling P286.7 million
JC Uyecio: P483.1 million covering four joint ventures
ToughBuilt: P434.2 million covering three solo projects
Topnotch: P329.9 million covering two joint ventures with Core Check and one with Beam Team
GR Fervidal: P266.6 million covering five solo multipurpose building projects
Lacson said all of the multipurpose building projects of GR Fervidal were suspended due to a ‘revision of plans’ involving soil reinvestigation.
He said the DPWH issued the cease-and-desist orders ‘to prevent further waste of government funds on contractors carrying out unauthorized or illegal activities.’
Lacson also said earlier he was told by PRA officials that all unpermitted reclaimed areas in Taguig City, whether belonging to the local government or to private individuals, are subject to forfeiture in favor of the national government.
On Saturday, he disclosed that at least four parcels of illegally reclaimed land in Taguig City had been initially identified as covered by ‘fraudulently’ issued land titles, while at least four other parcels have no plotted title lots in the digital file of the Land Registration Authority (LRA).
‘Digging further’
In a statement on Monday, Cayetano said the government stands to gain if allegations of illegally titled properties along Laguna Lake in Taguig are proven true.
‘Yesterday, there was something in the newspaper saying that there is a 181,000-square-meter, or 18-hectare, property that was supposedly ‘illegally titled.’ On one hand, we are also hoping that’s true. Why? Because if it is indeed illegal, it would go to the government. Then we would have 18 hectares now for the government,’ said Cayetano, referring to one of the parcels identified by Lacson.
In another post on X, Lacson reacted to that statement by Cayetano.
‘Maybe so, except that those titles (38.83 hectares total, so far) are registered to private individuals. We have their names as well as the OCT (original certificate of title) and TCT (transfer certificate of title) numbers. We are digging further deep into it,’ said Lacson.
‘What if it wasn’t exposed?’ he added.