Fresh testimonies detailing cash deliveries have emerged in the ongoing investigation into questionable infrastructure works in Taguig City, the political stronghold of Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson revealed Sunday.
Speaking during a radio interview, Lacson stated that several individuals have stepped forward to the Office of the Ombudsman to share information about the movement of funds linked to the projects, including a single shipment containing massive amounts of cash.
“The latest development is that there are witnesses who approached the Ombudsman and shared details of how boxes of money were delivered,” Lacson said.
“One of the deliveries involved millions of pesos,” the senator added.
The senator noted that the Ombudsman is currently evaluating these disclosures as part of its fact-finding probe, adding that formal charges could be handed down in the near future.
“With the Ombudsman now on the case, let’s see what happens. I would like to think that it may file charges against those involved before the end of the year,” he said.
In addition to the financial allegations, Lacson pointed to updated data from the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) showing that unapproved reclamation along the Taguig portion of Laguna Lake has reached 170 hectares—double the original 85-hectare estimate.
“TAGUIG UPDATE: The scale of unauthorized encroachment into Laguna Lake has dramatically expanded. While initial estimates pointed to 85 hectares, our latest verification from the PRA reveals that 170 hectares on the Taguig side alone have been covered with soil,” Lacson posted on social media Saturday.
The 170-hectare area in Taguig represents roughly one-third of the estimated 560 hectares of total unauthorized lake reclamation spanning parts of Laguna and Rizal provinces, according to Lacson.
He urged the national government to seize the reclaimed prime real estate, emphasizing that government recovery alone should not substitute for criminal accountability.
“We should not stop at forfeiting illegally reclaimed (parts of the) lake. Those responsible should be held accountable,” he said.
Lacson previously flagged that as much as ₱3.713 billion in public money may have been spent on contested infrastructure works along the affected Taguig shoreline.