Senator Ping Lacson over the weekend hit back at Senator Alan Cayetano’s veiled jab, calling the release of his independent findings into flood control projects in Taguig a “striptease” devoid of credible evidence.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Lacson implied that Cayetano’s remarks during a recent Facebook Live “exposed [his] ignorance” of how complex corruption cases are handled, stressing that evidence should be properly weighed before authorities, such as the Office of the Ombudsman, take action to build a case.

“It must be deliberate, methodical and thorough; not hasty nor sloppy,” he pointed out.

Cayetano on Friday accused Lacson of preempting the conclusions of agencies involved in the ongoing investigation into Taguig projects, including the Ombudsman and the Land Registration Authority (LRA).

“I support any investigation. My only concern is when it turns into the kind of ‘trial by publicity’ that Senator Lacson is engaging in. It has been like a striptease every day for the past three months—yet there is no real evidence, just constant accusations,” the Senate minority leader lamented.

Cayetano also doubled down on his accusations that Lacson was engaging in a “witch hunt” by unfairly singling out Taguig despite the lack of credible evidence linking the city to flood control anomalies.

“Why did I call it a witch hunt? Because they’re just looking for everything. It’s like hunting for a ghost—it’s not there, but you end up making up a story about it,” he added.

Cayetano also pushed back at Lacson’s allegations that he intimidated potential witnesses, arguing that it was Lacson who threatened contractors with possible plunder charges if they did not coordinate with his probe.

Cayetano alleged that the supposed scheme resulted in two contractors signing an affidavit against Taguig.

Cayetano asserted that Lacson should have left the investigation to authorities but instead chose to weaponize his office’s findings against him as part of a “demolition job.”

The Ombudsman has already received two batches of evidence from Lacson’s office in connection with its independent probe into purported ghost, substandard and double-billed infrastructure and reclamation projects in Taguig, Cayetano’s political bailiwick.

Last week, Ombudsman Boying Remulla confirmed that subpoenas had already been issued to the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Philippine Reclamation Authority and the LRA to obtain relevant records on Taguig projects as his office’s fact-finding probe continues.

Remulla said several personnel from Taguig City Hall attempted to block Ombudsman investigators from flying a drone to take photographs in the Laguna de Bay reclamation area, leading to their arrest.

Lacson has linked Cayetano to alleged illegal reclamation activities in Laguna de Bay on Taguig’s side. Cayetano, however, denied turning the surrounding waters into private projects, claiming they were entirely government-owned public parks or flood mitigation projects carried out through coordination between past and current administrations.

Lacson warned that the government risks wasting P3.713 billion on Taguig projects if the investigation reveals that the city is indeed embroiled in illegal reclamation projects.

Lacson has alleged that public funds involved in the purportedly anomalous infrastructure projects in Cayetano’s turf totaled P14.4 billion, covering the period from 2020, when Cayetano was still Speaker of the House of Representatives, to 2025.

The alleged scheme involved recycling photos from previously completed contracts to justify billing and collect payments for purportedly new projects.