Palace: Lacson won’t back down

Following Senator Erwin Tulfo’s revelation that some senators had tried to help reconcile Senators Panfilo Lacson and Alan Peter Cayetano, Malacañang on Tuesday expressed confidence that Lacson would not back down from his investigation into the controversial flood control projects in Taguig allegedly linked to Cayetano.

“We believe that, based on Senator Lacson’s character, he will not compromise just to stop his investigation,” Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said.

“We believe he will continue pursuing issues that deserve to be investigated. If there is evidence, we know he will see the investigation through,” she added.

Lacson recently declined Cayetano’s invitation to jointly inspect flood control projects in Taguig, saying, “Maybe next time when the flood control program in Taguig is fixed.”

“It’s been a while since I practiced swimming; I might drown in floodwater. Lol,” he wrote in a social media post.

On Tuesday, Lacson escalated his criticism, saying it could instead be Cayetano who would “drown in the truth” after his team uncovered what he described as a “cauldron of worms” involving alleged ghost slope protection projects and the illegal reclamation of portions of Laguna Lake.

Lacson said the findings were validated during a meeting Monday night with officials of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), who also allegedly confirmed harassment and intimidation linked to Cayetano.

“Our Taguig City case study has opened a ‘cauldron of worms’ after my meeting with Philippine Reclamation Authority officials last night — from ghost slope protection projects to illegally reclaimed tracts of land covering Laguna Lake,” he posted on X.

He said his team would coordinate with the PRA, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Laguna Lake Development Authority, and other agencies “not only to send those behind these grossly anomalous and patently illegal activities to jail, but also to forfeit the illegally reclaimed lakeshore areas in favor of the national government. There is no turning back.”

Lacson added that PRA officials, who are under the Office of the President, also confirmed alleged harassment during the November 2025 budget deliberations and disclosed incidents of physical intimidation during on-site inspections of the illegal reclamation sites along C6.

Last weekend, Lacson presented evidence allegedly linking Cayetano to lakeshore reclamation projects that lacked permits from agencies, including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. He claimed the projects were financed using funds intended for slope protection works.

Last week, Lacson and his team turned over evidence from at least five alleged anomalous infrastructure projects in Taguig to the Office of the Ombudsman.

According to Lacson, the evidence suggests Cayetano exercised significant control over DPWH operations in Taguig, including the replacement of district engineers who acted without his approval, as well as the existence of a purported 33-percent kickback scheme in infrastructure projects.