Senator Panfilo Lacson has fired back at Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, defending the ongoing probe into alleged flood control anomalies in Taguig City as a “deliberate, methodical, and thorough” process rather than a hasty operation.
Lacson dismissed Cayetano’s recent claims, which likened the investigation to a proofless “striptease,” as evidence of his colleague’s ignorance regarding complex corruption cases.
“It must be deliberate, methodical, and thorough; not hasty or sloppy,” Lacson stated on X, emphasizing that his team has already submitted 45 documented case studies detailing systemic infrastructure irregularities to the Office of the Ombudsman.
Cayetano had previously countered during a Facebook Live session that the accusations lacked solid evidence, describing them as a “demolition job” and stating he chose not to respond point-by-point to focus on urgent public needs. Despite his criticisms, Cayetano maintained he would fully cooperate with the Ombudsman’s inquiry.
The heated exchange follows a tense incident in Taguig where city personnel briefly confronted and detained investigators from the Ombudsman taking drone photos of local infrastructure projects. Police detailed to the Ombudsman arrested the involved personnel before the Taguig City Government issued a statement clarifying the event was an honest misunderstanding by public safety officers over unidentified, civilian-dressed investigators. The matter was later resolved at a local police station.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla confirmed that fact-finding efforts into the Taguig infrastructure projects remain underway.