Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Pia Cayetano have returned to the Philippines after a brief visit to Singapore that drew public attention. They arrived in Manila on Saturday night.
Soon after the landing, Alan did a Facebook live to speak out against Sen. Panfilo Lacson. He accused Lacson of unfairly hitting him, his family and the city of Taguig. Alan said he did not expect the criticism to be so strong. He said the attacks were not solely focused on him, but on the whole city he represents. He said he will leave it to God.
Lacson has linked Alan to questionable infrastructure projects in Taguig in recent weeks. One of these is an alleged illegal reclamation project at Laguna de Bay. The case is now being investigated by the Office of the Ombudsman.
Alan is also under another investigation. The National Bureau of Investigation is looking into allegations that he was involved in corruption associated with the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, which was hosted by the Philippines in that year.
However, Alan defended his recent trip abroad. He said it was a short and quiet trip for rest only. He said the Bureau of Immigration and the Ombudsman both cleared him to travel, saying there was nothing to stop him from leaving the country.
Earlier, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said Alan’s trip was in connection with health reasons.
Pia Cayetano had a different reason for her trip. She said she went to Singapore to support the Philippine National Padel Team preparing for the Asian Games in Japan.
The Cayetano siblings departed Manila for Singapore on the evening of September 9. A few days later they returned amidst the ongoing controversy surrounding Alan.
The timing of the trip was attacked, coming as it did while investigations were continuing into Alan’s alleged part in crooked deals. Yet Alan says he did nothing illegal in his travels and has nothing to hide.
The cases involving Alan are still pending with the Ombudsman and NBI. There have been no formal charges announced.
