Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson announced on Wednesday that his office uncovered at least two suspected “ghost” infrastructure projects in Taguig City as part of his probe into Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano’s alleged ₱6.79-billion budget insertions in the 2025 national budget.
Revealing preliminary findings, Lacson highlighted that various slope protection and drainage efforts—frequently carrying a ₱100-million price tag each—formed a major chunk of the flagged appropriations.
“We have documented at least two case studies so far. Too many ₱100-million slope protection and drainage projects totaling ₱2.085 (billion) out of the ₱6.79 (billion) in insertions under the 2025 (national budget),” Lacson wrote on his social media account.
The anti-corruption lawmaker noted that investigators initially traced projects connected to businesses owned by contractors Sarah and Curlee Discaya, though he claimed another firm actually performed the work in exchange for a five-percent royalty fee.
Lacson pointed out that additional similar projects went to Topnotch Catalyst Builders, a contractor President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. previously named in 2025 among 15 major flood-control builders.
The Discaya-linked works took place in 2019 and 2020, during Cayetano’s tenure as House Speaker.
Additionally, Lacson asserted that overlapping scopes among poorly planned works created potential avenues for kickbacks, adding that parties involved attempted to “repair” certain projects after his team flagged them as potentially fictitious.
According to Lacson, 68 of the 70 projects linked to the disputed insertions have already been completed, leaving two projects worth ₱75 million unreleased or unobligated.
His office continues to collect documentation and witness testimony regarding Cayetano’s alleged insertions and supposed 25-percent kickbacks on public works.
“(Cayetano) asked for it, I’ll give it to him. I will pursue this to its logical conclusion. I will not ‘invent’ or ‘fabricate’ evidence, but because of his attack on my integrity, I will exert extra effort to find those pieces of evidence, documentary or testimonial,” Lacson stressed.
Cayetano has denied all allegations, pointing out that earlier official reviews uncovered no ghost infrastructure projects within Taguig City.