Metro Manila, Philippines – The National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) probe on the alleged anomalies in the country’s hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games should not intimidate the innocent, Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said, after Senators Alan and Pia Cayetano claimed reviving the issue was an attempt to distract them from the impeachment trial.
“Ang tao na wala naman dapat katakutan ay hindi nai-intimidate kahit kailan. Hindi ito pai-intimidate, hindi ito panggigipit sa mga taong wala namang ginawang mali. So hindi dapat magkaroon ng reaksyon na dahil i-imbestigahan lamang ay sila iisa-isahin na,” Castro said in a press briefing on Thursday, July 16.
[Translate: Those without anything to fear should not be intimidated. This is not an attempt at intimidation, and it is not meant to harass those who have done nothing wrong. So there shouldn’t be any reactions that because the anomalies will be investigated, they’ll be singled out.]
During the July 15 impeachment trial, the Cayetano siblings raised the NBI probe in court. They said NBI Director Melvin Matibag was trying to intimidate them. Matibag is expected to testify on Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged grave threats on Tuesday, July 21.
READ: Arrests, probes a distraction on Duterte impeachment – senator-judges
Alan Cayetano was the chairperson of the 2019 SEA Games Organizing Committee. The event is under scrutiny for anomalies over the supposed ₱10-billion unliquidated fund, lack of competitive bidding, and over-pricing of the ₱50-million cauldron.
Castro said the Palace had no hand in the investigation. She said the timing was a coincidence and that Matibag only mentioned it in an ambush interview.
She said Matibag was holding meetings in New Clark City, Tarlac – where the 2019 SEA Games were held – beginning June 15 for the opening of a new NBI Academy.
‘Definitely not me’
In his July 15 manifestation, Cayetano said it was “definitely not me” and instead mentioned that the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) handled the infrastructure.
“The president of the BCDA is one of the closest advisors and is a secretary now,” Cayetano said, referring to Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon.
Asked about probes on Dizon’s alleged involvement, Castro said that he was investigated at the time and cleared of any involvement.
Mico Clavano, Office of the Ombudsman spokesperson, said the case against Dizon on the construction of facilities for the 2019 SEA Games was dismissed for insufficiency of evidence in a December 2021 resolution.
“Sa ating pagkakaalam hindi naimbestigahan sila Senator Alan Cayetano at the time he was Speaker of the House,” Castro said. Cayetano was House speaker from 2019 to 2020.
“Sa ating pagkakaalam, ang dating pangulong [Rodrigo] Duterte ay nilinis na agad si Senator Alan Cayetano at the time kahit wala pang umaandar na pag iimbestiga,” she added.
[Translation: As far as I know, Cayetano was not investigated at the time he was Speaker of the House. As far as I know, Duterte cleared Cayetano without an investigation.]
In a lengthy Facebook post on July 16, Cayetano – not addressing anyone specifically – said such distractions consumed Philippine politics and destroyed public trust and confidence in institutions.
“The willingness to investigate almost everything and everyone seems matched only by the reluctance – nay, the refusal – to fully pursue the one issue that deserves the deepest and most sustained scrutiny of our time: the flood control scandal,” he said.
