Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano invited Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson to come to Taguig City to see for himself the city’s projects.

Cayetano made the invitation in a Facebook Live on Saturday evening after Lacson shared some photos attesting to the alleged anomalous flood control and other infrastructure projects in his political bailiwick.

The senator said it would be better to see what Taguig City looks like in person rather than what a paper or picture shows.

“I will continue to invite not only Senator Lacson, not only in staff, but everyone. Iba kasi yung sa papel-papel, iba yung sa picture-picture (Because what’s on paper is different and what’s on a picture is also be different),” Cayetano said.

“Tignan nyo yung budget, pumunta kayo sa lugar, makikita nyo nandyan talaga yung project at magaganda (Look at the budget, come to the place, and you will see for yourself that the projects are really good). Again, to the best of my knowledge,” the senator added.

Earlier, Lacson claimed that the former Senate president virtually controls the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) operations and other related activities in Taguig City with district engineers unable to act—or keep their posts—if they acted without his approval.

“Ang kalakaran sa Taguig virtually controlled ng isang tao. Walang makakagalaw doon na hindi alam ni Cayetano. Yan ang kalakaran (DPWH operations in Taguig are virtually controlled by one person. No one can move without Cayetano's knowledge. That's the way it works),” Lacson said on Friday in interviews on Radio DZBB and True FM radio.

Lacson also said he and his team's investigation uncovered an “ecosystem” in Taguig where projects are prearranged for favored contractors, and the district engineers are expected to follow the dictates of Cayetano's trusted men.

The former national police chief also said that with the help of informants, they have pieced together the money trail, identified the flow of infrastructure project kickbacks, and have started turning over the evidence to the Ombudsman.

According to Lacson, many district engineers (DE) were replaced when they did not follow Cayetano’s orders. One DE was also told by Cayetano that his predecessor was removed because he didn’t know how to follow “orders.”

“Sabi niya walang flood control anomaly or ghost projects. Bahala siya, yan ang kanyang claim. Pero records and documents say otherwise (Cayetano claims there is no flood control anomaly or ghost project in Taguig. It's up to him. That's what he says, but records and documents say otherwise),” Lacson stressed.

Moreover, he said evidence gathered by his team also shows a possible 33-percent kickback structure in Taguig infrastructure projects, including: 10 percent for the “principal,” two percent (2%) for the “boys,” and six percent (6%) for the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), including three percent (3%) for BAC members and 3% for contractors who join the bidding.

And this is nothwithstanding the 15 percent (15%) that went to ex-DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, who now faces plunder and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan.

“That’s why nag-resort sila sa overlapping and ghost, or substandard. Saan babawi ang kontratista kung ganyan kalaki ang nawala sa lagayan (That's why they resorted to overlapping and ghost projects, or do substandard work. How else could contractors get back their money if they lose so much)?” Lacson said.

Cayetano, whose wife, Lani Cayetano is the incumbent mayor of Taguig City, said he is ready to answer all the allegations hurled at him.

And while there are technicalities that he said can be explained, Cayetano said he is ready to answer them.

“(In) full faith and confidence. And let me assure you, lahat ng allegations na binabato sa amin ay masasagot (all the allegations thrown at us will be answered),” he said.

“At (and) let me assure you na maayos dito sa Taguig (everything is in order here in Taguig). As I keep saying to the best of my knowledge, walang ghost project dito. May mga technical, may mga kailangan ipaliwanag (there are no ghost projects here. There are technical issues, that need to be explained),” he stressed.