Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has warned of what he described as “systematic attacks” against the Senate amid a string of allegations targeting several lawmakers involved in ongoing investigations into alleged anomalies in flood control projects.
Cayetano expressed concern over what he called diversionary tactics, saying these distractions only serve to shift public attention away from the true masterminds behind the corruption schemes.
“I don’t think there’s one mastermind. I think it’s a group of people who came together, maybe stumbling into it. We have some people in our minds, but we’d rather the evidence speak for it,” Cayetano said.
The senator recalled how a “flawed” People’s Initiative campaign last year attempted to abolish the Senate, reinforcing his belief that the latest accusations against senators are “part of a larger scheme by the masterminds to clear the way for their corrupt plans.”
“We all know that while the People’s Initiative was being created, they were forming this scam, not only on flood control projects. It’s surfacing one by one,” he added.
Cayetano then urged Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III to protect the upper chamber from what he described as ongoing institutional attacks.
“If this happened to Sen. Risa Hontiveros or to Sen. Panfilo Lacson, even though I am in the minority, I will stand firm. Why? Because there is a systematic attack against the Senate,” he said. “The Senate President is not only the father of the Majority – he also serves as the father of the whole Senate. So if one member is being attacked, whether he or she is a member of the minority, an independent senator, but the attack is foul, it’s wrong to let the whole institution suffer.”
Cayetano also called on the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, chaired by Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, to stay focused on uncovering the true masterminds behind the scandal.
“Eyes on the ball tayo… Whether administration or part of the opposition, we should be united in ensuring that the mastermind is prosecuted, jailed, and the money is returned and the system is reformed,” he said.