Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has pushed back against claims that he unfairly zeroed in on Taguig City, the political bailiwick of Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, in his exposé on alleged anomalous flood control projects — while openly acknowledging that he trained his sights on the city after Cayetano went after him.
“Lahat ‘yan, nasa baul namin nung nagsimula kami sa Blue Ribbon. All the time, lahat ng files na ‘yan, nandoon sa amin. Hindi lang namin nakakalkal sa dami, we were overwhelmed,” the senator said, according to News5, explaining that his office had long held records on questionable projects but had been swamped with cases elsewhere.
Lacson said the documents on Taguig had been in his files since he chaired the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, but that his team initially concentrated on flood control anomalies in Bulacan, Occidental Mindoro, and other areas before the volume of evidence forced Taguig aside. He made no secret of why the city rose to the top of his list. “Hindi ako magpapaka-ipokrito, talagang kinalkal namin ‘yung Taguig. Sabi ko, ‘Mag-focus tayo rito kasi ang ingay-ingay nito,'” he said, casting Cayetano as the one making noise while attempting to appear clean.
The remarks are the latest exchange in an escalating feud between the two senators. The dispute sharpened after Cayetano publicly questioned the growth in Lacson’s declared wealth, which the Philippine Star reported rose from P58.7 million in 2022 to P244.9 million in 2025 — a jump Lacson has attributed to a real estate deal with two partners. Lacson has said the attack on his integrity prompted him to redirect his staff toward Taguig.
Cayetano has repeatedly denied that any ghost or non-existent flood control projects exist in the city his wife, Lani Cayetano, now governs as mayor. He has dared Lacson to widen the inquiry to other highly urbanized areas such as Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Makati, and Parañaque rather than concentrating on a single city, and has described the allegations as “malicious,” “general,” and “sweeping.” No case has been filed against him over the claims.
Lacson has alleged that Cayetano secured roughly P6.79 billion in congressional insertions in the 2025 national budget, and that his office identified projects tied to firms linked to detained contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya. On July 28, Lacson said he turned over five case studies to the Office of the Ombudsman with a recommendation to pursue plunder, graft, and malversation charges against those behind the alleged anomalies. He has said the details will also surface at the next Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, which chair Senator Erwin Tulfo has said he is weighing for the coming week.
