MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and Sen. Panfilo Lacson traded accusations Tuesday over Lacson’s anti-corruption campaign, with Cayetano claiming the senator’s actions benefit those responsible for corruption.
Cayetano made the remarks in a Facebook post after Lacson said he believed he “must be doing something right and good for the country” if his campaign against corruption intimidated corrupt individuals.
Cayetano disputed Lacson’s claim and accused him of empowering people he described as the masterminds and those most responsible for corruption.
“All you have done is to try to silence the few voices still standing for the country, the Constitution, and democracy. You can bully and silence some, but not all of us,” Cayetano said.
Cayetano also questioned Lacson’s motivations and urged him to reconsider his approach to fighting corruption.
“Imagine a Ping Lacson truly fighting against corruption, instead of protecting the corrupt. Like many other Filipinos, I used to believe in you—and it’s not too late,” he said.
Cayetano ended his statement with a call for national healing, repentance and renewal.
Dispute follows impeachment trial remarks
The latest exchange followed Cayetano’s comments during Monday’s impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
While questioning prosecution witness and retired Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, Cayetano asked whether she could issue a writ of amparo to senator-judges who faced alleged intimidation.
Cayetano later told reporters that it was “obvious” who he believed stood behind the alleged threats against opposition senators.
He cited Lacson’s purported statement that the impeachment trial should end by December and questioned whether cases could target opposition senators when that deadline arrived.
Lacson denied making that statement.
“A classic case of putting words into my mouth,” Lacson said in a post on X. He also said he did not have “the power or influence to dictate the timeline.”
Two other senators aligned with Cayetano’s minority group, Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta, remain detained at a Quezon City jail on separate non-bailable plunder charges.
Authorities linked Estrada to the flood control scandal, while Marcoleta faces a case stemming from an alleged P75 million campaign donation connected to his 2025 senatorial campaign.
