Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson announced on Wednesday, May 6, that fresh evidence will be forwarded to the Office of the Ombudsman regarding the ongoing investigation into alleged anomalies in public works projects.
Lacson revealed that the new material includes formal request letters from lawmakers concerning project allocations, known colloquially as “allocables.”
“Ah hindi kasama pero ito isinaklaw ko na rin ‘yung mga letter request ng mga lawmakers. Kasi isa sa recommendation namin ‘yung allocables,” Lacson stated during a Kapihan sa Senado forum.
A crucial piece of unsubmitted evidence is a handwritten note from the late Public Works Undersecretary Catalina Cabral, which allegedly outlines specific project distributions.
According to Lacson, the note reveals that Cabral distributed ₱500 million worth of projects to Senate Deputy Minority Leader Rodante Marcoleta based on these allocation requests.
“Mayroon pa nga roon na sulat-kamay ni the late Usec. Cabral na nag-allocate talaga siya based doon sa request ng allocables. Nakapag-allocate siya ng ₱500 million na mga projects kay Sen. [Rodante] Marcoleta,” he shared.
The senator confirmed that this document, sourced directly from the legal counsel of the late undersecretary, has not yet reached the Ombudsman but will be transmitted promptly.
He also affirmed that Marcoleta would be included in the widening investigation.
“Hindi kasama ‘yun sa hawak ng Ombudsman. So, ipadadala namin ‘yun kasi galing mismo ‘yun sa kampo, sa abogado ni dating Usec. Cabral,” Lacson added.
In a follow-up interview, Lacson clarified that while he views lobbying for project allocations as improper, the practice itself is not strictly illegal and has been a historical norm.
He noted that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) granting these requests does not automatically break any laws.
“Sabi ko nga, yung request for allocables although sa tingin ko hindi proper pero hindi naman illegal kasi dati naman pinapractice. Pero yung pinagbigyan, given due course yung mga request maski hindi lahat again, hindi pa rin illegal yun pinagbigyan ng DPWH,” he explained.
Instead, Lacson emphasized that criminal liability arises if the funded projects are executed poorly, implemented below standards, or turn out to be entirely fabricated “ghost projects” managed by corrupt contractors.
“Pero yung binigyan ka ng items tapos sinubstandard ng contractor mo, na-ghost project ng contractor mo, doon may problema. So, yun ang hihimay namin,” Lacson stressed.
The veteran lawmaker also brought to light grievances from several congressmen that surfaced during the Commission on Appointments (CA) confirmation hearings for former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
Lawmakers allegedly approached Lacson to complain about a colleague who cornered allocations for themselves—a scheme locally referred to as a “bukol” incident.
“Nung nilabas ko yung merong isang congressman na nangbukol sa mga kapwa nila congressmen, actually lumapit sila sa akin nung may CA kami. They’re egging me. Tuloy nyo yun senator. Kasi kami yung mga nabukulan,” Lacson said.
The lawmakers claimed that while a collective ₱1.5 billion worth of projects was requested during the CA panel sessions, only ₱500 million was actually approved, which was then allegedly monopolized by a single representative, leaving others empty-handed.
“Ito yung facts, as narrated to me by some congressmen. Dahil kinoconfirm yung DPWH Secretary, bigyan niyo kami ng projects. At hindi lang ako, kasi marami kami rito. Labindalawa kami rito sa panel ng CA,” he added.
While Lacson withheld the names of the other implicated officials for the time being, he reiterated that the scope of the inquiry will zero in on verifying whether contractors linked to these specific allocations delivered substandard or non-existent infrastructure.