MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said Monday that People’s Television Network General Manager Lino Cayetano had offered to provide information on alleged “ghost projects” in Taguig City, as the public dispute between Lacson and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano continued.
In a radio interview with Ted Failon and DJ Chacha, Lacson said Lino Cayetano, the younger brother of Alan Peter Cayetano and a former Taguig mayor and representative, relayed through an intermediary that he wanted to assist in an investigation into alleged irregularities in the city.
“Someone told me, through an intermediary, that Lino wanted to cross over and asked if he could contact me because he wants to help in the investigation since he said he knows many ghost projects in Taguig,” Lacson said.
Lacson said his office would examine the allegations to determine whether ghost projects existed in Taguig. He added that his office had also been looking into alleged defective projects involving companies linked to private contractors Pacifico and Cezarah Discaya during Alan Peter Cayetano’s tenure as House speaker.
He said his office would rely on evidence and would not fabricate findings.
Alan Peter Cayetano responded in a Facebook Live broadcast, defending the city’s projects and questioning why Taguig was being singled out.
“All over the Philippines, all over Metro Manila, there are lots of floods, but here in our city, everything is orderly. Still, we are the ones being investigated. They say there are Discaya projects,” he said.
Cayetano also noted that Lacson had been photographed with the Discayas and questioned why he was the subject of the investigation instead.
The exchange followed accusations made by Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday that Lacson’s net worth had doubled over the years. Lacson replied that his net worth had quadrupled through legitimate earnings and accused Cayetano of corruption while announcing an investigation into alleged ghost projects in Taguig.
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag said Monday that the agency had begun looking into the allegations.
“We’re already investigating,” Matibag told reporters.
Matibag said the NBI would examine 11 projects in 2022 that he said were linked to the top 15 named contractors. He added that the agency decided to discuss the matter publicly after Lacson disclosed the allegations.
The NBI is also investigating alleged irregularities in the country’s hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. The agency earlier said it would subpoena former officials of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc), which Alan Peter Cayetano chaired.
Alan Peter Cayetano and his sister, Sen. Pia Cayetano, criticized the investigation, saying it was intended to intimidate them as senator-judges in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Matibag said the NBI could subpoena Alan Peter Cayetano if evidence linked him to the case. He added that investigators would verify why Cayetano’s name was not listed among the members of the Phisgoc board of directors despite his statement that he served as its chairman.
“Lawyers will tell you that before you can become chairman, you must be a member of the board. If you are not a member of the board, how did you become chairman?” Matibag said.