P3.7B Wasted on Illegal Taguig Reclamation Projects, Lacson Claims

The disclosure follows confirmation from Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon that the Department of Public Works and Highways has issued cease-and-desist orders against reclamation projects in Taguig. The stoppage follows a directive from the Office of the President coursed through the Philippine Reclamation Authority.

Project Costs and Contractors

Lacson stated via social media that official records and investigations trace the 3.713 billion-peso expenditure to the Taguig lakeshore reclamation zone.

According to Lacson, five contractors account for 2.372 billion pesos of the total project costs:

• Dahl Construction: 858.22 million pesos covering five solo projects worth 571.5 million pesos and four joint ventures totaling 286.7 million pesos.
• J.C. Uyecio: 483.1 million pesos covering four joint ventures.
• Toughbuilt: 434.2 million pesos covering three solo projects.
• Topnotch: 329.9 million pesos covering two joint ventures with Core Check and one with Beam Team.
• GR Fervidal: 266.6 million pesos covering five solo multipurpose building projects.

All five of GR Fervidal’s multipurpose building projects remain suspended due to a revision of plans requiring a soil reinvestigation, according to Lacson. He added that the identified expenditures exclude separate slope protection and flood mitigation projects along the Taguig River involving double appropriations and ghost projects that allegedly used recycled photographs for billing purposes.

Land Title Investigations and Forfeiture Risks

Philippine Reclamation Authority officials previously informed investigators that all unpermitted reclaimed areas in Taguig, regardless of whether they are claimed by the city government or private individuals, could face forfeiture in favor of the national government.

Lacson reported that four parcels of reclaimed land in Taguig are covered by fraudulently issued titles, while four other parcels lack plotted title lots in the digital records of the Land Registration Authority. The Land Registration Authority is currently checking titles across a 39-hectare area of the Laguna Lake reclamation zone.

According to Lacson, the four parcels initially identified as carrying questionable titles include a 9,204-square-meter property covered by an administrative patent under an Original Certificate of Title; a 5,000-square-meter property processed through ordinary land registration under an Original Certificate of Title; an 181,077-square-meter property covered by a homestead patent under a Transfer Certificate of Title; and a 193,027-square-meter property under a Transfer Certificate of Title.

Legislative Reactions and Next Steps

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano stated that the government stands to financially benefit if the allegations regarding illegally titled properties near Laguna Lake prove true.

Speaking at a church anniversary event, Cayetano noted that if reports of 181,000 square meters of illegally titled land are verified, the property would revert to the state, granting the government 18 hectares of land. Cayetano welcomed the ongoing investigation into the titles, noting that Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano also supports examining the properties.

Cayetano also rejected allegations linking him to land grabbing, specifically regarding the use of The Lakeshore Tent, stating that the public venue is widely used and does not belong to him.

Lacson announced that his team will submit its findings regarding the anomalous projects to the Office of the Ombudsman’s fact-finding team for appropriate action.