De Lima teases Cayetano amid pandemic: ‘Kumusta na ang P50-M SEA Games kaldero?’

Senator Leila De Lima on Monday taunted House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano for defending the priorities of the lower house in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and closure of ABS-CBN Corporation.

This was after Cayetano called Vice President Leni Robredo "clueless" last week as to the efforts and priorities of lawmakers, and lashed out at the latter for instructing the lower chamber on how it should conduct its business.

"Babatikusin pa niya si VP Leni Robredo, eh totoo namang nagpa-banjing-banjing sila sa mas dapat tutukang mga usapin. Di ba’t inabot sila nang siyam-siyam bago sinimulan ang pagdinig sa franchise renewal ng ABS-CBN? Kung hindi pa pupunahin, hindi pa nila gagawin ang trabaho," De Lima, a staunch critic of the administration, said in a statement.

"Kamusta na nga pala ‘yung 50 milyong pisong kaldero na ipinagtanggol ni Speaker Cayetano? Napakagandang simbolo nito lalo na sa panahon ngayon—sa kung anong prayoridad ng gobyernong ito at kung paano nila sinasayang ang pondo sa mga walang katuturang proyekto," she added.

In November 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, Cayetano—who chaired the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee—defended the P50-million cauldron built for the 30th Southeast Asian Games hosted by the country. He argued that it was made by a national artist and was cheaper than what was built by Singapore in 2015. 

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon previously questioned the said price tag as he argued that it could have been used to construct 50 classrooms.

The SEA Games has also been hounded by transportation, food and accommodation issues, prompting President Rodrigo Duterte to push for an investigation on the missteps and alleged irregularities.

The Office of the Ombudsman also started a probe on the organizers of the sports event over allegations of corruption. The Senate's plan to dig deeper into the issue after the SEA Games hosting did not materialize.

Cayetano, for his part, previously said he was ready to face any investigation as he maintained that he was not involved in any act of corruption. —LDF, GMA News