Lacson Alleges ₱4.7B Budget Insertion for Pia Cayetano, ₱6.7B for Alan Cayetano in 2025; Raises Concerns Over Taguig Reclamation Projects

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Sunday disclosed that Senator Pia Cayetano had a budget insertion of approximately ₱4.7 billion in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), while her brother, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, had a larger insertion amounting to ₱6.7 billion. Lacson made these remarks during an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, highlighting the scale of the budget allocations linked to the Cayetano siblings.

Lacson noted that while the ₱4.7 billion insertion for Pia Cayetano has yet to be fully examined for implementation status, Alan Cayetano’s ₱6.7 billion budget had mostly been implemented, with only about ₱75 million remaining unexecuted. He added that the majority of Alan Cayetano’s projects were concentrated in Taguig City.

Despite revealing these figures, Lacson emphasized that further investigation is necessary to determine whether Pia Cayetano is involved in any anomalous flood control projects. He stated that there is currently no evidence indicating that her budget insertion was allocated to flood control projects or that such projects were irregular, as his team has not yet conducted a detailed review.

The senator’s comments came amid ongoing scrutiny of alleged illegal reclamation activities on the Taguig side of Laguna Lake, which Lacson linked to Alan Cayetano. He described these projects as being presented under the guise of slope protection and flood control, but suggested they were in fact reclamation efforts.

Lacson explained that the so-called slope protection and mitigation projects are ostensibly flood control measures. However, he questioned their legitimacy, pointing out that the areas targeted for these projects are water bodies without slopes, implying that the projects involve filling in water areas with soil and other materials rather than genuine flood control.

Earlier in the week, Lacson called for an end to what he described as impunity surrounding these alleged illegal reclamation projects. He accused the Cayetanos of using their influence to harass officials from the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), and other agencies responsible for protecting the lake.

According to Lacson, the number of suspicious flood management projects in Taguig has reached 32. He cited the PRA as confirming that these reclamation projects lack the necessary permits. The PRA estimated that 47 hectares had already been reclaimed, with an additional 37 hectares added, but their ability to monitor the developments was hindered after they were barred from further investigation.

Lacson alleged that during the budget hearing plenary deliberations for the Office of the President, PRA officials were summoned to Alan Cayetano’s office, where their budget was threatened with suspension. This, Lacson claimed, pressured the officials into silence, delaying the investigation.

Regarding the reclaimed areas, Lacson said they would be forfeited in favor of the national government. He acknowledged that some portions have already been titled and that Alan Cayetano was correct in stating that some of these areas are government property. However, he stressed that reclamation could only be lawful if the local government unit (LGU) had applied for the appropriate permits.

GMA News Online reached out to both Pia and Alan Cayetano for comment on these allegations but had not received responses at the time of publication.

Lacson concluded by stating that he would defer to Senator Erwin Tulfo to decide whether the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee should continue its investigation into the alleged anomalous flood control projects in Taguig.