On World Lake Day, Senator Cayetano calls for stronger stewardship of Laguna Lake

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano marked World Lake Day by highlighting environmental progress along Laguna Lake in Taguig, calling on both government officials and the public to strengthen stewardship of the country's natural resources.

Speaking during two Facebook livestreams on Aug. 27 from the Taguig Lakeshore, Cayetano shared that his advocacy for Laguna Lake began during his term as a congressman in 1998, emphasizing the body of water’s untapped potential.

“Nung congressman pa ako ng 1998, naging passion ko na po kung paano pagandahin ang Laguna Lake,” Cayetano said. “Nagkaroon lang po siyempre ako ng opportunity sa side ng Taguig dahil nga ito ang aking home city… Napakarami po kasing gamit ng lake.”

Cayetano stressed that public officials must view themselves as temporary caretakers rather than owners of public assets, adding that environmental protection is a shared duty.

“Ang pagiging sa gobyerno, ang pagiging public servant — hindi po kami ang may-ari ng resources… Kami po ay stewards, tagapamahala lang. Lahat ng tao kahit na wala sa gobyerno, meron po tayong obligasyon maging good stewards,” he explained.

He pointed to Taguig’s lakeshore developments as concrete examples of proactive environmental management, noting that infrastructure like the C6 road dike was engineered to prevent shoreline erosion, limit pollution, curb informal settlements, and guarantee public access.

“Nung ginawa y’ung C6 or road dike, basically, pinoprotect po y’ung lakeshore. Part of its protection is not only na huwag mag-erode, [but para] hindi bahayan ng informal settlers kasi kung mabahayan, yung dumi, dito mapupunta sa lawa. The other thing is to make it for public use,” the senator said.

During the broadcast, Cayetano also addressed land grabbing allegations against the local government and his family regarding properties along the lakeshore.

He clarified that while portions of the 1,100 hectares outside the road dike consist of both private and government-owned land, the municipal government actively worked to preserve remaining open spaces for community use.

“May allegations na may kinakamkam kami… Doon sa bandang gitna, marami na pong private [land] kasi may 1,100 hectares ng lupa na nasa labas ng road dike. Meron po doon na private property, merong gobyerno,” Cayetano said.

“Pero ito lahat po, precisely ni-reserve at ginawan ng paraan ng local government na maging public para hindi kamkamin. So baliktad sa allegation. Titingnan niyo po y’ung history… ang history po ng Cayetano ay tumutulong na maging good stewards para sa gobyerno,” he added.

Moving forward, Cayetano called on the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) to take a more proactive lead in future World Lake Day observances, noting that Taguig has spearheaded the event for two consecutive years.

“Baka naman dapat ang LLDA at iba pang mga namamahala sa lawa ay nagse-celebrate kasi parang second year na ito na Taguig pa ang nagse-celebrate of World Lake Day. Baka nakaligtaan lang… But syempre, kung ikaw ay mismo ang trabaho mo ay sa lake, dapat naman siguro, 'di ba?” he remarked.

Cayetano concluded by reiterating that long-term economic and recreational productivity for Laguna Lake depends entirely on sustainable conservation efforts.

“Taguig as a city, kami as legislators, mga konsehal, mga kapitan namin na may kinalaman sa lake, we're all trying to do our part na maging mas productive po ang lake. But magsisimula po iyan sa pangangalaga, sa pamamahala. Meaning, dapat hindi polluted at dapat nirerespeto na ito ay gift at gawa ng Panginoon,” he said.