LSenator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said Thursday, September 10, that Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s trip abroad is not an issue for the moment, urging him to take a break amid the controversies surrounding him.
“This is not an issue as of the moment. Let’s make him (them) take a break from the stress caused by issues that he himself created,” Lacson said in a post on X.
Lacson also said Cayetano and his wife, Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano, could be traveling for health-related reasons, including reproductive health services, which he noted Singapore is known for.
“If it is simply health related, I sincerely wish him well despite our animosities,” Lacson added.
The statement came after photos circulated online Wednesday showing Cayetano at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, where he was seen lining up for a Singapore Airlines flight.
The Bureau of Immigration later confirmed that Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Pia Cayetano are currently out of the country. The BI said its records showed that neither senator had a hold departure order or derogatory record as of their departure date that would have legally prevented them from leaving the Philippines.
The immigration bureau, however, declined to disclose details about their respective trips, including their itineraries, citing the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
Cayetano is currently being investigated by the National Bureau of Investigation and the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with alleged irregularities surrounding the Philippines’ hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. He served as chairman of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc).
Meanwhile, Lacson has also raised allegations involving flood control infrastructure projects in Taguig City, Cayetano’s political bailiwick.
Lacson and his office earlier submitted at least 45 case studies backed by official documents to the Office of the Ombudsman, detailing what they described as “systemic anomalies” in flood control projects in the city. The Ombudsman has since launched a fact-finding investigation into the allegations.
Despite their political differences, Lacson said he wished Cayetano well if the senator’s trip was indeed health-related.
