The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has issued cease-and-desist orders (CDOs) against reclamation activities along the Taguig City side of Laguna de Bay.

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said Sunday, 30 August, that the CDOs were issued on 20 August.

“We already issued the CDOs as ordered by the Office of the President through the Philippine Reclamation Authority,” Dizon said.

He noted that the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) is under the Office of the President.

Dizon said a dialogue would be held on the reclamation activities, involving the PRA and the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA).

“Let’s just discuss it kung ano ba talaga. Meron bang mga problema d’yan? And then alamin natin kung ano ang way forward,” he said.

Senator Panfilo Lacson earlier said Dizon informed him that CDOs would be issued against the alleged illegal reclamation activities in Taguig City.

Lacson said the CDOs would prevent public funds from being spent on contractors working on projects he claimed were unauthorized or improperly implemented.

The senator had looked into questionable projects in Taguig City and identified at least 32 projects he considered anomalous, including those he described as disguised reclamation activities.

Lacson earlier alleged that Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano had pressured PRA officials to stop an inquiry into one of the reclamation projects in Taguig.

He also alleged that some projects described as flood-control or slope-protection works were actually reclamation activities.

Lacson has submitted his findings on the questionable Taguig projects to the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) for investigation.