Former Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson pushed back against criticism from Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano regarding ongoing inquiries into suspected infrastructure and flood control anomalies, urging that investigators be allowed to work without hindrance.
The dispute arose after Cayetano likened Lacson’s disclosures on Taguig City flood control initiatives to a “striptease” due to a supposed lack of supporting evidence.
Addressing the remarks, Lacson countered that complex corruption inquiries require structured, meticulous work rather than rushed conclusions.
“It only proves Sen Cayetano’s ignorance of how an investigation of flood control anomalies and other sophisticated corruption cases works. It must be deliberate, methodical and thorough; not hasty nor sloppy,” Lacson stated in a social media post.
In response to claims that his team lacked proof, Lacson highlighted that 45 case studies backed by official records detailing “systemic anomalies” in Taguig’s infrastructure projects have already been turned over to the Office of the Ombudsman, prompting a formal fact-finding probe.
The investigation recently encountered operational friction on the ground.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla disclosed during a Saturday radio broadcast that Taguig City Hall staff attempted to block investigators from using aerial drones to document project sites. The confrontation led to the arrest of the local personnel by police officers accompanying the field team.
“On Friday, our investigators were being obstructed by the City Hall personnel. Even when the investigators identified themselves as being from my office, they refused to let them do their work. But my team had police personnel detailed to them, and they dealt with the city hall personnel,” Remulla recalled.
Lacson reiterated that independent oversight agencies must be permitted to trace evidence without local interference or political resistance.