Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has raised the specter of deep-seated corruption in reclamation projects around Laguna Lake, warning that their Taguig City case study has uncovered “ghost slope protection projects” and illegally reclaimed tracts of land.
In a strongly worded post on X, Lacson said the findings emerged after a meeting with officials of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), which revealed what he described as a “cauldron of worms” in reclamation oversight.
“Our Taguig City case study has opened a “cauldron of worms” after my meeting with Philippine Reclamation Authority officials last night – from ghost slope protection projects to illegally reclaimed tracts of land covering Laguna Lake,” Lacson said.
The senator stressed that the anomalies point to systemic abuse of government authority, with projects executed on paper but absent on the ground, and lakeshore areas reclaimed without legal sanction.
Lacson vowed to pursue accountability by working closely with the PRA, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) central office, and the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA).
He said the coordinated effort aims not only to prosecute those behind “grossly anomalous and patently illegal activities” but also to forfeit reclaimed lands in favor of the national government.
“There is no turning back,” Lacson declared, underscoring his resolve to dismantle entrenched networks of corruption and restore public trust in reclamation governance. # (RRN)
