Lacson says Dizon apologized over ‘ghost’ projects claim

Senator Ping Lacson bared Monday that Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon apologized to him after denying that there were “ghost” projects in Senator Alan Cayetano’s political bailiwick, Taguig, suggesting he might be “set up.” 

The apology followed Lacson’s criticism of Dizon for comments he made during a Senate budget hearing on Friday, when Cayetano confronted him about whether the DPWH had identified any non-existent projects in his turf. 

Lacson was not present in the said hearing due to simultaneous committee proceedings, though he said he looked for Dizon before the budget deliberations on the DPWH commenced, only to be told by Senator JV Ejercito that the secretary was in Cayetano’s office. 

Lacson took offense at Dizon’s denial because it not only “contradicted” the DPWH’s own site inspection reports supplied to the lawmaker’s office, but also subjected him to online bashing accusing him of fabricating stories against Cayetano.

“Secretary Vince knows that. That’s why he kept calling yesterday. When I took it up and we talked, he apologized profusely. He said he would clarify the matter today, and [told me] that it wasn’t exactly how he had stated it and it seemed like he had been set up,” Lacson narrated in Filipino in a radio interview. 

Dizon worked for Cayetano as a consultant from 2013 to 2016. The two were also embroiled in the 2019 SEA Games controversy, but were eventually cleared of the allegations. 

Cayetano chaired the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee, while Dizon was the then chief of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, which oversaw the sports facility in New Clark City. 

The PHISGOC drew backlash over allegations of an overpriced cauldron that cost P50 million. Cayetano denied profiting from the project. 

Lacson did not buy Dizon’s excuse, given that his subordinate, DPWH Undersecretary Ricardo Bernabe III, corroborated his claims by telling the Senate finance committee that all of the 107 projects in Taguig have accomplishment reports.

“I was actually surprised. I didn't expect his denial to be that strong. It was categorical. It felt like the [backlash] turned back on me. I was being bashed, called a liar, and [people are telling me] that I was mistaken,” he pointed out. 

More strikingly, Lacson suspected that the DPWH deliberately took down its website over the weekend to prevent media from accessing and verifying what he flagged as irregular projects in Taguig. 

Lacson reportedly confronted Dizon about this, warning him that it could be perceived as a “cover-up” and make them criminally liable. 

The records concerning Taguig projects were reportedly supplied by the DPWH to Lacson’s office in mid-August, just under a month after the agency conducted the inspections.

The documents in question purportedly found three Taguig projects whose billing photos had geotagged coordinates pointing to Tacloban, Leyte, roughly 600 kilometers from their actual locations, with the Discaya couple as the purported contractor.

The flagged projects allegedly totaled P96.5 million and also underwent independent verification by Lacson’s office. 

“That’s why it cannot be located in Tacloban, because the project description clearly states it is along the Taguig River. We aren't concluding that this is a ghost project, but neither can we rule out the possibility of a ghost project in Taguig,” Lacson argued. 

At least 68 projects in Taguig were suspected of irregularities, according to Lacson, but those projects in Leyte stood out for being so “brazen.” 

Lacson’s team is bound for Tacloban to verify their initial findings.

The lawmaker claimed that the “modus” in Taguig mimics the scheme in Bulacan, where old ghost projects are allegedly overlaid by new ones and supplemented by additional budget to conceal the purported irregularities.

He also alleged that Taguig may be embroiled in the so-called “project for hire,” in which a construction company wins government contracts through the mandatory bidding process but subcontracts the construction to other firms, collecting only a royalty fee. 

Lacson claimed that his office already possessed relevant documents supporting this claim, including checks issued by the Discaya couple. 

He refrained from elaborating on it, though he noted that they were already submitted to the Ombudsman for further investigation.