Truce for feuding Lacson, Cayetano pushed

National

WILL the Lacson-Cayetano Senate feud give way to a truce?

Lawmakers are pushing Panfilo Lacson and Alan Peter Cayetano to set aside their dispute as the chamber takes on the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte and pending legislation.

Blue Ribbon committee chairperson Erwin Tulfo said peace feelers between the two senators were discussed during a recent majority bloc caucus, as senators seek to put internal disagreements aside and focus on the Senate’s current workload.

In a weekend interview over dzBB, Tulfo also confirmed that the Blue Ribbon committee is considering turning over to the Office of the Ombudsman its planned investigation into alleged anomalies involving flood control projects in Taguig.

With the Senate currently sitting as an impeachment court for Duterte, the majority has agreed that internal disagreements should take a back seat to the chamber’s more immediate responsibilities.

Tulfo said the goal is to avoid further conflict and redirect attention to the Senate’s priorities, including the impeachment proceedings and pending measures.

Tulfo said he would convene the Blue Ribbon committee within the week to determine whether members would formally abandon the planned probe into Taguig infrastructure projects flagged by Lacson.

He said a separate Senate investigation could be redundant if the Ombudsman is already conducting its own inquiry into the matter, though he added that the chamber could still step in if new evidence emerges or additional personalities are identified.

The possible pullback of the Senate probe comes as Lacson and Cayetano continue to trade barbs over the Taguig flood control projects.

Lacson recently submitted the findings of an independent fact-finding probe to the Office of the Ombudsman, alleging that anomalous infrastructure projects had been inserted into the 2025 national budget for Taguig.

The dispute intensified on social media after Cayetano initially accused members of the Senate majority of having their own ghost projects.

Cayetano later said he was prepared to face possible legal action as he vowed to fight the allegations surrounding Taguig’s multibillion-peso flood control projects.

“So yes, we are ready for the cases. If they will jail me, then so be it. But that doesn’t mean we will volunteer. Of course, we will fight for the truth,” Cayetano said in a Philstar report.

Lacson, meanwhile, brushed off Cayetano’s invitation to inspect Taguig’s infrastructure, referring to a recent drowning incident in the area.

“Maybe some other time when the flood control program in Taguig is already functional. I have long been out of practice in swimming; I might drown in floodwaters there. Lol!” Lacson posted in his X account, as quoted in the same article.

Cayetano responded that Lacson would not drown in Taguig’s floods, but in truth.(MyTVCebu)