The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is expected to 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 (PRA), Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Saturday.

Lacson said Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon assured him 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.