Lacson: Composite Probe Needed to Get to Bottom of Continued Illegal Reclamation in Taguig

A composite or multi-agency investigation is needed to get to the bottom of the continued illegal reclamation activities on the Taguig City side of Laguna Lake and address the impunity behind them, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Saturday.

Lacson said he had suggested that agencies including the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), Land Registration Authority (LRA), Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Office of the Ombudsman, and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) combine their efforts to address the problem.

In Filipino: Lacson: Composite Probe Kailangan Para Mabunyag ang Totoo sa Patuloy na Ilegal na Reclamation sa Taguig

“Pag reclamation, PRA. Pag Laguna Lake, LLDA. And DENR kasi kung basura tinatambak mo concern ng DENR yan. Pag infrastructure projects, DPWH. Pag kaso, Ombudsman. Kaya composite yan (The reclamation aspect is addressed by the PRA. Concerns on Laguna Lake are addressed by the LLDA. The DENR is involved because the reclamation involves the dumping of garbage. The Ombudsman is concerned with pursuing the appropriate cases, so it must be a composite team),” he said in an interview on DWIZ radio.

“Ako ang nag-suggest noon nang nagkaroon ng conference sa office ko. Masama ba yan? Ako ang nag-consolidate, magtulong-tulong tayo to get to the bottom of this issue. Pagka laki-laki ng area na natabunan ng basura at filling materials ang Laguna Lake sa Taguig side, ito ang Lakeshore, 170 hectares (I suggested the composite approach during a conference at my Senate office. Is there a problem with it? We should consolidate our efforts because a huge area of Laguna Lake has been filled with garbage from the Taguig side, or Lakeshore, and it involves 170 hectares),” he added.

On Friday, Lacson posted on X a video of the continued illegal reclamation on the Taguig side of Laguna Lake. The video was taken by a joint on-site inspection at the Taguig Lakeshore area by a composite team with representatives from the Office of the Ombudsman, PRA, LRA and DPWH.

The continued illegal reclamation shows “somebody feels he is above the law,” Lacson noted.

He added the inspection team, composed mainly of lawyers and engineers, sought assistance from police for security, as the dumping of garbage continued.

Meanwhile, Lacson said he would continue gathering evidence on the illegal reclamation activities instead of dignifying insinuations from Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.

“Hindi ko papatulan pero ang paghanap ng ebidensya, tuloy-tuloy ang pagkalap ng ebidensya (I will not dignify him but I will continue to gather evidence),” he said.

Lacson reiterated that as an ordinary citizen, he could not turn his back on the problem especially if dumping garbage into Laguna Lake affects the livelihood of fisherfolk there, as well as the health of residents who eat fish caught in the area. The reclamation activities have also worsened the flooding problem in parts of Laguna, he added.

He added his track record of exposing wrongdoings as a senator, dating back to his first year in 2001 – including the pork barrel system and the “Bridges to Nowhere” – shows he is merely being consistent.

“Matagal ko na ginagawa ito for the past 20 years anong pagbabago doon (I have been doing this for the past 20 years so what’s new about it)?” he said.

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Lacson: Composite Probe Kailangan Para Mabunyag ang Totoo sa Patuloy na Ilegal na Reclamation sa Taguig

Kailangan ang isang composite o multi-agency na imbestigasyon upang matukoy ang buong katotohanan sa patuloy na ilegal na reclamation activities sa bahagi ng Laguna Lake na sakop ng Taguig City at matugunan ang impunity sa likod nito, ayon kay Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson nitong Sabado.

Sinabi ni Lacson na iminungkahi niyang pagsama-samahin ng mga ahensiya kabilang ang Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), Land Registration Authority (LRA), Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Office of the Ombudsman, at Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) ang kanilang mga pagsisikap upang matugunan ang problema.

“Pag reclamation, PRA. Pag Laguna Lake, LLDA. At DENR kasi kung basura tinatambak mo, concern ng DENR yan. Pag infrastructure projects, DPWH. Pag kaso, Ombudsman. Kaya composite yan,” aniya sa isang panayam sa DWIZ radio.

Noong Biyernes, nag-post si Lacson sa X ng isang video ng patuloy na ilegal na reclamation sa bahagi ng Laguna Lake na sakop ng Taguig. Kinuha ang video sa isang joint on-site inspection sa Taguig Lakeshore area ng isang composite team na binubuo ng mga kinatawan mula sa Office of the Ombudsman, PRA, LRA at DPWH.

Ayon kay Lacson, ang patuloy na ilegal na reclamation ay nagpapakita na “somebody feels he is above the law.”

Dagdag niya, humingi ng tulong sa pulisya para sa seguridad ang inspection team, na karamihan ay mga abogado at inhinyero, habang nagpapatuloy ang pagtatambak ng basura.

Samantala, sinabi ni Lacson na magpapatuloy siya sa pangangalap ng ebidensiya hinggil sa ilegal na reclamation activities sa halip na patulan ang mga parinig ni Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.

“Hindi ko papatulan pero ang paghanap ng ebidensya, tuloy-tuloy ang pagkalap ng ebidensya,” aniya.

Muling iginiit ni Lacson na bilang isang ordinaryong mamamayan, hindi niya maaaring talikuran ang problema lalo na kung ang pagtatambak ng basura sa Laguna Lake ay nakaaapekto sa kabuhayan ng mga mangingisda roon, gayundin sa kalusugan ng mga residenteng kumakain ng mga isdang nahuhuli sa lugar. Dagdag niya, pinalala rin ng mga reclamation activities ang problema sa pagbaha sa ilang bahagi ng Laguna.

Dagdag pa niya, ipinakikita ng kanyang track record sa pagsisiwalat ng mga katiwalian bilang senador, mula pa noong unang taon niya sa Senado noong 2001—kabilang ang sistema ng pork barrel at ang “Bridges to Nowhere”—na nananatili lamang siyang consistent sa pagtutok sa mga ganitong isyu.

“Matagal ko na ginagawa ito for the past 20 years, anong pagbabago doon?” aniya.

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