At least 13 land titles spanning 170 hectares of unauthorized encroachment on Laguna Lake in Taguig City have been uncovered by the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson disclosed on Saturday, September 19.
Citing updated data from the PRA derived from verified satellite and digital mapping, Lacson revealed that several of the titled properties remain submerged underwater.
Speaking in a radio broadcast, the lawmaker highlighted that the reclaimed parcels along Taguig account for nearly a third of the estimated 560 hectares of total illegal reclamation across Laguna Lake, which extends into the provinces of Rizal and Laguna.
Lacson stated that it would be a “blessing” if the national government moved to seize the prime real estate in Taguig, noting that such an intervention could also mitigate the environmental degradation caused by illegal land filling.
However, the senator emphasized that government confiscation of the property alone is insufficient, pressing for legal prosecution against the individuals behind the scheme.
He pledged that his office will maintain active coordination with the Office of the Ombudsman and relevant government bureaus to unearth the full scope of the irregularities.
The disclosure follows the submission by Lacson’s team of 45 case studies to the Ombudsman, complete with official records outlining alleged systemic corruption in flood control infrastructure within Taguig City—the political stronghold of Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano.