Photo courtesy of Ping Lacson/Facebook.
Questions over reclamation activities along Laguna de Bay have put at least Php 3.713 billion worth of government flood control and multipurpose projects in Taguig City under scrutiny, according to Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
Lacson said the amount represents completed, ongoing and suspended projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways located along reclamation areas whose legality has been questioned.
The senator said the total could rise further because his computation did not include other projects along the Taguig River that he alleged involved duplicate appropriations and “ghost” projects using recycled photographs for billing.
About Php 2.372 billion of the projects he identified were linked to five contractors. Dahl Construction accounted for Php 858.22 million, followed by J.C. Uyecio with Php 483.1 million, Toughbuilt with Php 434.2 million, Topnotch with Php 329.9 million and GR Fervidal with Php 266.6 million.
Lacson said GR Fervidal’s five multipurpose building projects had been suspended because revised plans required another investigation of soil conditions.
The questions surrounding the spending surfaced as Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon confirmed that cease-and-desist orders had been issued against reclamation projects in Taguig following instructions from the Office of the President through the Philippine Reclamation Authority.
Separate questions have been raised over ownership of reclaimed land in the city. Lacson earlier alleged that four parcels were covered by fraudulently issued titles, while four others had no plotted title lots in the Land Registration Authority’s digital records. He said PRA officials told him reclaimed areas found to be unauthorized could be forfeited in favor of the government.
Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said scrutiny of the land titles could benefit the government if properties were eventually determined to have been illegally titled and reverted to the state. Cayetano has denied other allegations involving Taguig projects and challenged Lacson to substantiate his claims of ghost projects.