Senator Panfilo “Ping" Lacson on Thursday slammed "disgraced" Senator Alan Peter Cayetano for desperately and baselessly dragging his name into a "bogus" hearing of the Blue Ribbon Committee.
Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano (Mark Balmores)
Lacson said Cayetano's attempt to link him to allegations involving the delivery of suitcases of cash through a helicopter was based on innuendos and succeeded only in exposing Cayetano’s disgusting behavior.
“Disgraced ex-SP Cayetano desperately dragged my name in a bogus BRC hearing without an iota of evidence or even a tiny bit of basis or reason except to pull me into a corruption controversy. He exposed his loathsome behavior by using overstretched innuendos. He is disgusting,” Lacson said on X.
He said some of the images presented in the bogus “hearing” depicting him riding a helicopter were taken during his 2022 presidential campaign, where he used aircraft provided by an air service company.
“The air service company was Asian Aerospace. We contracted them in the 2022 campaign. It's on our Statement of Contribution and Expenditures (SOCE) where we paid P11.031 million for the services," Lacson said.
"If it was outsourcing its air assets like fixed wing aircraft or helicopters from anyone, wala na kaming alam at pakialam doon (we have no knowledge of that and we should not be concerned with that),” he added.
Earlier, Lacson hit the Cayetano bloc over its sudden appearance at the Senate to conduct "business" - a day after the Senate already adjourned sine die, and the new Senate leadership allowed employees to work from home for the day.
He said the Cayetano bloc's "Blue Ribbon hearing" conducted at the Senate's session hall on Thursday despite the absence of the committee secretariat cannot and should not be treated as official.
"Kung kelan walang pasok at adjourned sine die na, saka naman nasa session hall… (Just when there is no need to report for work and the Senate has adjourned sine die, that's when they decide to show up at the session hall)," he said in a post on X.
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, chaired by Sen. Erwin Tulfo, already postponed hearings on the flood control issue following the leadership change on Wednesday, while Senate President Pro Tempore and acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian allowed Senate employees to work from home on Thursday.
"Bilang senator, hindi sila pwedeng pigilan na pumasok sa Senate kasi nandiyan ang office nila so they can do what they want pero sino mag-record ng proceedings na sinasabi nila (As senators, no one is stopping them from entering the Senate because their offices are there so they can do what they want. But who will officially record the proceedings)?" Lacson said in an interview on DZBB radio.
Earlier this week, Lacson and his colleagues in the then 11-member minority bloc scored the ex-Senate President for leading a boycott of the chamber's session this week. The boycott left the Senate unable to conduct its business.
The Senate managed to convene on Wednesday and elect new officers before adjourning sine die, after Sen. Francis Escudero joined the 11 members of the then minority to form a quorum.