The Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) has started the forfeiture process in favor of the national government of several hectares of illegally reclaimed land on the Taguig side of Laguna Lake.

Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, made the disclosure on Sunday, August 9, and also said that PRA has confirmed his and his team’s initial findings pointing to the Taguig City government’s failure to secure a permit required to undertake the reclamation.

“They are moving toward an investigation that would lead to a PRA board resolution to start the process toward forfeiture proceedings,” Lacson said in an interview on Radio DZBB.

“If reclamation is undertaken without a permit from the PRA, which is the agency mandated to regulate reclamation and issue the necessary permits, the logical conclusion is that the land should be forfeited in favor of the national government. And the PRA confirmed that there was not a single permit,” he said.

Lacson said the reclaimed land may be benefiting residents, as former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano claims, but the proper procedures and laws still have to be followed, including securing the necessary permits.

“The PRA said the city government did not secure a single permit,” he added.

The senator earlier noted how the Cayetanos had disguised the “unabated and illegal” reclamation operations in the Taguig side of Laguna Lake as flood control and mitigation projects for several years now.

He pointed out the Taguig City government still needed permits and documents from the PRA, Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) before undertaking reclamation work even though these areas were already “government property,” as he claimed them to be.

“The local government still cannot do reclamation work without the needed reclamation permits,” he said.

The former national police chief also noted how Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero narrated how he secured the needed permits from related agencies including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), before undertaking reclamation there when he was governor of Sorsogon.

“Some portions of the lands where multipurpose buildings and parks are being built could be owned by the LGU. But even the LGU cannot reclaim land without the needed permits, or the land will be forfeited in favor of the national government,” he added.

He also recalled the PRA’s earlier investigation into the reclamation was stalled after the former Senate president pressured the agency's representatives during the November 2025 deliberations on the Office of the President's budget. The PRA is under the OP.

Cayetano also called PRA officials to his office and threatened to suspend deliberations on the OP’s budget, and hold it hostage, according to Lacson.

“Cayetano threatened to have the deliberations on the OP's budget suspended, so they were pressured and the investigation was stalled,”  he recalled.

“The investigation was stalled but now the PRA is very enthusiastic. I am not sure if the PRA will generate revenue once the land is forfeited in favor of the national government,” he added.

Moreover, Lacson said PRA officials also need to conduct further verification of how much reclaimed land need to be forfeited as the last count “several years ago” showed there were 47 hectares that were reclaimed but another 37 hectares had been added recently.

Also, according to Lacson, the PRA had difficulty checking the extent of the reclamation because their personnel were being monitored.

One PRA official brought his children to a street-food event in the Taguig area and used the occasion to fly a drone, allowing the PRA to get a clearer view of the extent of the reclamation.

For now, Lacson said he and his team had gathered evidence on at least 32 anomalous flood control projects in the area, after coordinating with the PRA and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Blue Ribbon probe

The senator said it is now up to Blue Ribbon Committee chairman, Senator Erwin Tulfo to decide if the committee should include the Taguig City flood control projects in its hearings.

“It's his call as chairman. My concern is that people are angry especially now because they have experienced flooding again. They are asking where the hundreds of billions or trillions of pesos in taxpayers' money for flood control projects went,” he said.

Lacson also said some of the witnesses he and his team have talked to voiced fears of being harassed if they would be summoned to a public hearing.

“The witnesses asked if they could be referred to the Ombudsman instead of being called to a public hearing. I agree with them, because they might be exposed prematurely if they are called to the public hearings,” he said.