PASAY CITY, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano pressed officials of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) over alleged double standards in enforcing reclamation rules, questioning why local developments in Taguig City face stop-work orders while larger infrastructure projects continue uninterrupted.
Speaking during the PRA’s budget hearing on Tuesday, September 22, Cayetano questioned the agency’s decision to issue a cease-and-desist order against a project in Taguig, while allowing a significantly larger Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) project along Laguna Lake to move forward under inter-agency coordination.
The senator highlighted that both developments share the DPWH as their implementing agency, yet face starkly different regulatory responses.
“I’m trying to see if you are doing selective justice here. You have two projects, one is more than ten times bigger, one is ten times smaller, same proponent. One is even more useful than the other,” Cayetano stated.
The project in question, the Laguna Lake Road Network (LLRN), is a massive DPWH infrastructure venture involving road construction and reclamation along the lakefront.
While PRA representatives explained that the DPWH had agreed to realign and redesign the development, Cayetano asked why construction was permitted to proceed without the required regulatory clearances.
“Ongoing ngayon y’ung DPWH project na dambuhala ang laki compared sa Taguig. ‘Di nagsubmit sa inyo ng feasibility study [para sa project na y’un], hindi nagsubmit ng environmental study, so you will ignore that? Bakit?” he asked agency officials.
Cayetano, who is currently subject to an Office of the Ombudsman investigation regarding Taguig reclamation projects, also disputed the PRA’s assertion that it had issued a show-cause order to the city. He clarified that the communication sent to local authorities was merely a request for land title copies.
He emphasized that the DPWH, as the project proponent, should handle document submissions since Taguig City is not the repository for those records.
He further pointed to discrepancies in how the authority oversees other regional waterbody projects.
“Baka magkamali ah. I support the LLRN. I support the Pasig River project, Malacañang is [doing a] very good job in that. This is what I want to point out: pagka Taguig Lakeshore, sinisilip niyo lahat, pero ‘pag Pasig River [project], hindi. ‘Pag ibang parts ng Laguna Lake, hindi,” Cayetano remarked.
To prevent conflicting regulatory mandates from stalling local development, the senator called for streamlined collaboration among the PRA, the DPWH, and the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), which operates under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
He noted that an established framework already exists to facilitate inter-agency alignment.
Cayetano urged officials to reconcile their policies internally rather than penalizing the local government unit.
“Kaunting malasakit naman pabalik sa isang siyudad na nagmamalasakit din sa lahat,” he urged.