Metro Manila, Philippines – Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano revealed what he described as a pattern of political pressure against opposition senators, saying it should be obvious who stands to benefit from investigations and cases targeting members of the minority.
Cayetano stopped short of directly accusing Malacañang when reporters asked who he believed was behind the alleged threats.
“Sino ba kinakasuhan? Yung nasa oposisyon… Guys, alangan namang oposisyon ang mag-threaten sa kapwa oposisyon,” Cayetano said before the Senate plenary session on Monday, Sept. 15.
[Translation: Who are the ones facing cases? Those in the opposition… Guys, surely the opposition would not threaten its fellow opposition members.]
“Obvious naman. You can see it with your eyes,” he added.
Cayetano cited investigations and cases involving minority senators as discussions resurfaced over whether the number of votes needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial could be lowered because some senators are unable to vote.
“Senator Ping [Lacson], as an example, says dapat matapos yung impeachment by December. Then by December, may kaso daw ako,” Cayetano said.
[Translation: Senator Ping [Lacson], as an example, says the impeachment should be finished by December. Then, supposedly by December, a case would be filed against me.]
The Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of all Senate members to convict an impeachable official, equivalent to 16 votes in a 24-member chamber.
The Senate impeachment court is expected to tackle whether that threshold could be affected by senators who are unable to participate in the vote.
Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta remain absent from the chamber due to their detention in separate non-bailable cases. Senator Loren Legarda is facing an ombudsman investigation involving a plunder complaint and is on medical leave abroad, while the whereabouts of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa remain unknown amid an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court.
Cayetano has also faced allegations from Lacson involving projects in Taguig City, which Cayetano represents politically, as well as an NBI investigation related to the country’s hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
When reporters specifically asked whether Malacañang was behind the pressure he described, Cayetano again declined to name anyone.
“Let’s open our eyes. If we want to see the truth, all we have to do is open our eyes,” he said.
‘Don’t bend the law’
In a Facebook livestream Sunday, Sept. 13, Cayetano said he would continue defending the Constitution, the law and the rights of Filipinos despite what he described as increasingly intense attacks against him.
“Whether it is the cases that were threatened or the investigations, intriga, araw-araw na pabago-bagong accusation, kasama po ‘yan sa cost na ipaglaban ang mahal nating bansa,” he said.
[Translation: Whether it is the threatened cases, the investigations, the intrigue or the accusations that change every day, those are part of the cost of fighting for the country we love.]
Cayetano said political disputes should not lead government officials to change the rules or apply the law differently depending on who is involved.
“Just follow the law. Apply it equally to everyone. Don’t bend the law. ‘Wag wasakin o ibasura ang ating Konstitusyon. Ipaglaban ang karapatan ng bawat isa, mahirap man o mayaman,” he said.
[Translation: Just follow the law. Apply it equally to everyone. Don’t bend the law. Do not destroy or disregard our Constitution. Defend everyone’s rights, whether poor or rich.]
