Senator Panfilo Lacson is being accused of violating the Ombudsman’s confidentiality rule. The reason is that he kept making public statements and accusations against Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano even after he’d formally submitted documents to the Ombudsman. The office is now handling the case at the preliminary investigation stage.

One post in particular is being flagged. It’s a 25-second video snippet Lacson shared on social media, taken during a joint field inspection at Taguig Lakeshore. The inspection involved the Ombudsman, the Philippine Reclamation Authority, the Land Registration Authority, and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Lawyers say that alone is a clear breach.

They cite Republic Act No. 6770, the Ombudsman Act of 1989, and the office’s rules, including Administrative Order No. 1, Series of 2026, Rule IV, Section 5. Under those rules, fact-finding investigations, witness testimonies, and submitted evidence are strictly confidential. Details must stay private while the Ombudsman’s review is ongoing.

Why so strict? Lawyers give three reasons. One is to prevent trial by publicity—so media or social media can’t sway public opinion before the Ombudsman issues an official resolution. Another is to protect the evidence, so witnesses aren’t influenced, and documents or physical evidence aren’t preempted or altered. And then there’s due process: the rights and reputation of anyone under investigation shouldn’t be exposed to premature public judgment.

Since Lacson already filed documents implicating Cayetano and the Taguig City government, legal observers say the Ombudsman’s strict confidentiality protocols cover the matter. His continued posting of edited inspection videos and public accusations, they say, could undermine the formal legal process.

Lawyers add that publicizing the case on social media—and effectively asking the public to pass judgment instead of letting the Ombudsman decide—runs against the law’s goal: a fair, impartial, and credible investigation.

The dispute began when Lacson disclosed alleged 32 “ghost” flood-control and slope-protection projects in Taguig worth billions of pesos, as well as the alleged illegal filling of about 170 hectares of Laguna Lake. His disclosures implicated the Cayetano family and the Taguig City government.

The Taguig City government and Cayetano’s camp deny the allegations. They point out that formal Senate hearings showed the DPWH and other national government agencies, not the Taguig City local government, were the formal proponents of the infrastructure and reclamation projects along the lakeshore.

In the end, the controversy tests more than the political rivalry. It tests the Ombudsman’s ability to keep preliminary investigations fair, confidential, and free from trial by publicity and viral posts.