Cayetano not surprised by Lopez's accusations, says he gave her ‘chance’

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano said on Friday that he was not surprised by former Environment Secretary Gina Lopez's allegations that he voted against her confirmation because the Zamora clan had contributed to his campaign.

"I want to clarify that I gave Ms. Lopez enough chances to dispel fears that she would not observe the legal process in regulating the mining industry. I supported her in closing down mining sites that were not compliant with the highest standards," Cayetano said in a statement.

"Unfortunately, the Secretary was adamant in defending her illegal actions. If she had carried on with her mindset, it would have embarrassed the Duterte Administration sooner or later," he added.

The senator also explained why he did not elaborate on his vote during the confirmations hearing. "At the time of the voting, I felt that for me to explain my vote at that time would be like rubbing salt in a wound, because I would have to enumerate all the reasons why she is not fit to be DENR secretary. I felt it would be cruel to reject then put her down," Cayetano said.

Nickel Asia

During Thursday's episode of GMA News TV news program "News To Go", Lopez had said, "He (Cayetano) clearly voted against me, it was very evident. He's funded by, I mean the Zamoras funded his political campaign, so go figure."

Manuel Zamora is the president of Nickel Asia, the largest nickel company in the country, while his brother, Ronaldo, is the representative of the lone congressional district of San Juan.

Zamora and Lopez faced off during a March confirmation hearing, during which she accused him of killing a mountain because of Nickel Asia Corporation's (NAC's) mining operations.

Cayetano, who is currently in Geneva, said that while he respected Lopez's passion for the environment, she nevertheless failed "to understand that she cannot arrogate unto herself Constitutional powers reserved exclusively for Congress."

"Many officials have invoked good intentions when they violated our anti-graft and corruption laws, and President Rodrigo Duterte was left with no choice but to terminate them. Ms. Lopez's recent acts already bordered along these lines," Cayetano explained.

"Going by her unwillingness to comply with institutional processes, she is not fit to head the DENR. She would have embarrassed the President in no time." — Anna Felicia Bajo/DVM, GMA News