Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano expressed support on Wednesday for a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) inquiry into suspected financial anomalies surrounding the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, though he cast doubt on the timing of its public disclosure.
“Go ahead and investigate,” Cayetano said at the start of the sixth day of the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
A day earlier, NBI Director Melvin Matibag announced the launch of an investigation into allegedly unliquidated funds related to the New Clark City sports hub, which was constructed for the 30th SEA Games.
At the time of the event, Cayetano, who was serving as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, chaired the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee tasked with managing the regional sports meet.
Cayetano emphasized that the bureau should have quietly carried out its fact-finding mission rather than publicizing it to the media.
“He could have not announced it and investigated (instead),” the senator-judge said before the impeachment court.
“It is unfair to me and unfair to the court na kung kailan siya patatawag … (i-intimidate) mo ako (na) hindi kita tatanungin sa Monday (July 20) dahil mag-aannounce ka na i-imbestigahan mo?” he added.
On Tuesday, the impeachment tribunal ordered Matibag to testify before the court on July 20, prior to his scheduled departure for a regional summit in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ahead of Cayetano’s statement, Senator Robin Padilla also raised concerns through a brief manifestation, questioning if the sudden wave of government investigations was meant to intimidate the sitting senator-judges.
Padilla highlighted the recent arrests of allies and colleagues Senator Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta, which transpired close to the ongoing trial. Both were detained on separate, non-bailable plunder charges.
Cayetano cautioned that broadcasting parallel investigations aimed at active participants of the trial could ultimately damage the credibility of the Senate tribunal.
“I’ll repeat what I said when I was Senate President: Director hindi mo kami natibag. So wag mo i-try tibagin ‘tong representasyon na ‘to o itong impeachment court because what you’re doing is not helping,” Cayetano said.
“You investigate whatever you want to investigate … Pero wag mo nang i-announce kase nga naaapektuhan ‘yung integridad ng korteng ito,” the senator-judge added.