ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Lacson: Ombudsman subpoenas DPWH, gov't agencies over Taguig reclamation probe

Lacson: Ombudsman subpoenas DPWH, gov't agencies over Taguig reclamation probe

Published Aug 19, 2026 05:45 pm

At A Glance

  • The Ombudsman has issued subpoenas to the DPWH, LRA, Taguig Registry of Deeds and PRA for records related to alleged illegal reclamation projects in Taguig.
  • Lacson said the fact-finding probe covers eight reclamation sites, with one completed and seven others still ongoing, some dating back to 2007.
  • The PRA is preparing possible forfeiture proceedings covering about 85 hectares, while Lacson warned that the reclamation could worsen silting in Laguna Lake.
Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said on Wednesday, Aug. 19, the Office of the Ombudsman has subpoenaed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and other government agencies for documents concerning alleged illegal reclamation projects in the Taguig portion of Laguna Lake.
Senator Panfilo
Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson (Facebook)
Lacson said the Ombudsman’s fact-finding investigation remains ongoing, with his office continuing to submit documents and updates. The Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), meanwhile, has provided drone images of the reclamation sites.
"I believe nagpadala na ng subpoena ang Office of the Ombudsman sa DPWH duces tecum, kinukuha lahat na records sa Taguig. At ang PRA nagpadala na rin ng kanilang drone shots. Walong reclamation sites (I believe the Office of the Ombudsman has sent subpoena duces tecum to the DPWH for the records in the Taguig reclamation projects. The PRA has also sent its drone shots. There are eight reclamation sites)," he said in an interview on DZBB radio.
Lacson said the Ombudsman also issued subpoenas to the Land Registration Authority (LRA), Taguig Registry of Deeds, DPWH and PRA to obtain records related to the properties involved.
"May subpoena na pinalabas ang Ombudsman sa Land Registration Authority, Registry of Deeds ng Taguig, at sa DPWH, pati sa PRA. Lahat na documents kasi pinadala din namin ang 10 title numbers na nakuha namin so kailangan tingnan kung kanino nakatitulo ito. Yan ang subpoena na alam kong huling naipalabas ng Ombudsman, at least sa fact-finding nila para magkaroon ng basehan sa kanilang preliminary investigation (Subpoenas were also sent to the Land Registration Authority, Taguig Registry of Deeds, DPWH and PRA. It is asking for all documents because we also sent to it the 10 title numbers linked to the reclamation projects. These are the subpoenas that to my knowledge the Ombudsman has sent, for its fact-finding that may lead to a preliminary investigation)," he added.
He said he and his staff would continue assisting the Ombudsman by turning over additional documents, updates and information from witnesses who have approached them.
"Of course, Ombudsman ang ahensya na dapat tumugon. Tagatulong lang kami taga-supply ng documents and testigo na lumapit sa amin, pinadala namin sa kanila (Of course, the Ombudsman is the lead agency in the investigation. We are helping them by forwarding to them the documents we gathered and the witnesses who approached us)," he said.
According to Lacson, the investigation covers eight reclamation sites, only one of which has been completed. The other seven projects, some dating back to 2007, remain ongoing.
He also said the PRA is preparing to pursue forfeiture proceedings involving around 85 hectares of property linked to the alleged illegal reclamation activities, pending approval of a resolution by its board.
Based on the latest figures provided to him by the PRA, Lacson said the total area affected by the reclamation projects is at least 85 hectares.
Lacson warned that the reclamation activities could further aggravate the silting of Laguna Lake, particularly if the projects were undertaken without the required permits.
"Silted na nga ang Laguna Lake, tinambakan mo pa, ang hindi inabot ng tambak lalong masi-silt malalagyan ng lupa sa ilalim (Laguna Lake is already silted, and the illegal reclamation could worsen the silting)," he said.

Related Tags

Ping Lacson Ombudsman Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Taguig City
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.