DPWH stops Laguna de Bay reclamation in Taguig

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Wednesday, August 19, directed district engineers of the Metro Manila 1st District Engineering Office to stop reclamation activities in a portion of Laguna de Bay in Taguig City.

The DPWH only publicly announced the cease and desist order on Sunday, August 30, over a week after DPWH chief Vince Dizon responded to the letter of Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) General Manager and CEO Cesar Siador Jr. to the agency.

In his letter to the DPWH dated August 17, Siador directed the DPWH to suspend reclamation activities in Laguna de Bay.

PRA also directed DPWH to submit proof of its authority to undertake the project’s reclamation component, including, where applicable, the appropriate PRA approval, National Economic and Development Authority Board approval, or other approvals required under the prevailing reclamation regulatory framework.

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said in a social media post on Monday, August 31 that “based on official records and our investigation, the total cost of Identified completed, ongoing (and suspended) DPWH Flood Control and Multi-Purpose Projects along the ‘illegal’ Laguna Lakeshore Reclamation Areas in Taguig City has so far reached ₱3.713 billion.”

Lacson previously flagged the reclamation of a portion of Laguna de Bay in Taguig City — the bailiwick of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano — over the lack of permits. Laguna de Bay is the largest lake in the country, surrounded by cities in the southeast of Metro Manila, Laguna, and Rizal.

“Our Taguig City case study has opened a ‘cauldron of worms’ after my meeting with Philippine Reclamation Authority officials last night — from ghost slope protection projects to illegally reclaimed tracts of land covering Laguna Lake,” Lacson said in a post in early August.

Lacson also said PRA officials told him that Cayetano supposedly harassed them during budget deliberations in November 2025, when the budget of the Office of the President was taken up in plenary. The PRA is under the OP.

“The same officials likewise disclosed physical intimidation when they conducted an on-site inspection along C6 (Road) in the lakeshore area where the illegal reclamation activities are taking place,” Lacson said in a previous statement. – Rappler.com