Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has openly criticized Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s recent Supreme Court filing, arguing that the petition’s timing is suspiciously late and threatens to sow chaos during the upcoming special session convened by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Lacson asserted that if Cayetano truly intended to challenge the legitimacy of the June 3 Senate reorganization—which saw Senator Win Gatchalian appointed as acting Senate President and President Pro Tempore—he should have acted much sooner to allow the judiciary adequate time for deliberation.
“Disgraced ex-SP Cayetano should have done that earlier to give the court sufficient time to study and rule on the issue now being raised before the Court,” Lacson noted in a formal statement.
Expressing skepticism regarding the motives behind the legal challenge, Lacson suggested the petition might be a tactical maneuver designed to obstruct the special proceedings scheduled for Wednesday.
“Is he trying to dig deeper in his bag of dirty tricks to create a scene tomorrow by invoking that pending action by the Supreme Court on his petition, he may still exercise his authority as Senate president?” Lacson questioned.
The dispute stems from a June 3 session where a 12-member coalition reorganized the upper chamber, an action Cayetano and eight of his allies are now asking the Supreme Court to invalidate.
Cayetano continues to maintain that he remains the chamber’s rightful leader.
Despite the looming legal challenge, Lacson remains confident that the new majority is ready to handle any disturbances.
“Acting SP Gatchalian and the majority bloc should not and will not allow that. The Senate Sergeant-at-Arms may have his arms and hands full tomorrow in case another of a series of crises is again created by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano,” he warned.
Concluding his remarks, Lacson dismissed the notion that the current impasse was a result of external factors, stating,
“That said, it is not accurate to say that Alan Peter Cayetano created this ongoing crisis. In actual fact, he is the crisis.”