The Department of Public Works and Highways will issue cease-and-desist orders against ongoing projects in Taguig City linked to alleged illegal reclamation once it receives a formal request from the Philippine Reclamation Authority, Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Saturday.

Lacson said DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon gave him the assurance during a meeting on Thursday, as scrutiny deepens over flood-control and slope-protection projects in the city.

“Sec. Dizon guaranteed that once he receives the PRA’s request to issue cease-and-desist orders, he will issue them immediately,” Lacson said in a radio interview.

The move, he said, would prevent public funds from being spent on contractors working on projects that are later found to be unauthorized or improperly implemented.

Lacson said his team’s initial findings indicate that reclamation activities in Taguig cover at least 85 hectares.

The senator has alleged that some reclamation works were presented as slope-protection or flood-mitigation projects, raising questions over whether government appropriations were used to finance unauthorized filling of portions of Laguna Lake.

Under Philippine rules, reclamation projects require approval from the PRA, which is responsible for coordinating and approving reclamation projects on behalf of the national government. Projects also require environmental clearance before reclamation works can begin. 

Lacson said unpermitted reclaimed areas could be subject to forfeiture regardless of whether they are claimed by a local government or private parties.

“Under the law, you cannot cure that defect because the reclamation works that started without the needed permits are void ab initio or from the very beginning,” he said.

Lacson said the reclamation issue raised additional environmental concerns because, according to his findings, garbage that should have been transported to a sanitary landfill in Rizal was allegedly used as fill material in the lake.

“You can't do that because if you dump garbage meant for the landfill, you destroy the lake and the reclaimed area will have a weak foundation,” he said.

He said his staff is also examining land titles covering some of the reclaimed areas after finding titles that appear to identify private individuals as owners.

“We are now vetting the title numbers we have to determine where they originated, how parts of Laguna Lake came to have titles, and how the reclamation works were disguised as slope protection,” Lacson said.

The allegations have drawn a denial from Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, whose political base is Taguig. Cayetano has repeatedly said there are no ghost projects in the city and has challenged Lacson to produce evidence. He also said DPWH had previously verified Taguig projects and found no ghost works.

Lacson’s allegations have nevertheless prompted further scrutiny. Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Erwin Tulfo has said the panel could investigate the Taguig projects after reviewing Lacson’s documents, while the NBI has separately begun examining alleged irregularities.