Senator Panfilo Lacson probes Taguig ghost infrastructure projects

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson announced that his team is intensifying an investigation into alleged ghost flood‑control and slope‑protection projects in Taguig City. He said new bagmen have been identified and that three additional PHP‑100 million slope‑protection projects raise the total value of questionable contracts to about PHP 3.38 billion. Lacson warned that “the plot thickens, the list lengthens, the case strengthens” and noted that two projects appear to be double‑appropriated, suggesting one is a phantom scheme.

Lacson said the evidence may be forwarded to the Office of the Ombudsman to speed up prosecution and emphasized that the probe will continue until a “logical conclusion” is reached. The investigation targets former Senate president Alan Peter Cayetano, whom Lacson said “belongs in jail” for alleged corruption, although Cayetano has denied any ghost projects in his family’s jurisdiction. While the focus is on Taguig, Lacson indicated the review could extend to other infrastructure projects nationwide.