Claire Castro mimics Pia Cayetano in personal vlog, scores gaslighting after Senate shooting

Undersecretary Claire Castro, in her personal vlog, appeared to mimic Sen. Pia Cayetano's emotional manifestation in the plenary earlier this week, when the lawmaker said no one from her colleagues in the former majority asked in their group chat how the senators still in the premises were doing amid the Senate shooting.

The Palace press officer, who said the views she aired in her vlog were her own and not as a Malacañang official, also said Pia Cayetano's "crying scene" gaslighted the minority senators, especially Sen. Risa Hontiveros.

It was in reaction to Hontiveros, whose privilege speech criticized what seemed to be the return to normalcy in the Senate after the shooting incident, that Pia Cayetano made the manifestation in the plenary.

“Nakita natin kung paano na-gaslight (we could see how she gaslighted) with the crying scene, the other members of the minority, especially Senator Risa Hontiveros, in this case, in this scenario, and in this particular speech in which Senator Pia made her comment or response,” Castro said in her vlog on Wednesday.

GMA News Online reached out to the office of Pia Cayetano for a comment and will update this story once it responds.

Castro said Pia Cayetano was trying to sway public opinion after the shooting incident and put the blame on the new Senate minority bloc.

She also pointed out that it was Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca, who locked and loaded his weapon in front of the media, who was behind the operation. A video also showed Aplasca shooting a few rounds in the Senate premises.

Castro said Pia Cayetano's brother, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, who allowed Aplasca's operation.

“Ang lumalabas dito sa paghagulgol nitong si Senator Pia Cayetano eh parang ang may kasalanan hindi si Aplasca. Takot na takot siya—eh sana hindi ‘yan pinayagan ng kapatid mo, ‘yung operasyon na ‘lock and load’ at may aarestuhin. Alam ‘yan lahat ng kapatid mo eh,” Castro said.

(With Senator Pia Cayetano's crying, it now seems that Aplasca was not at fault. She said she was so scared. But why did her brother allow the 'lock and load' operation? Her brother knows everything that happened.)

Castro said it was Aplasca who started the controversial shooting incident at the chamber on May 13, all while several senators, their staff, members of the media, and other Senate personnel were inside the building.

But Castro said that there seemed to be “gaslighting” in the lady senator's manifestation, as her brother supposedly approved the operation led by Aplasca.

“Tapos ngayon, ‘yung mga dating miyembro ng majority—definitely referring to the minority— hinahanapan niya pa ng, ‘Kumusta kayo diyan?’” Castro said. “Ang basa ko, pahid na naman sa iba ang kasalanan.”

(And now, they are questioning why members of the minority bloc did not ask how they were… For me, they’re putting the blame again on others.)

“So, kapag nadinig ito ng mga tao na hindi alam…kung ano ang ebidensya, ano ang video, paano nag-start, maaawa sa kanya. At ang sisisihin na naman ang minority,” she added.

(So, when people who don't know what the evidence is, what the video is, how it started hear this, they will feel sorry for her. And the minority will be blamed again.)

Malacañang, which has been firm that they won’t let the Senate shooting slide, earlier said that Aplasca made the first "warning shot" during the incident. The Palace also emphasized that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents did not assault anyone.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla likewise said the Senate was not under attack when shots were fired inside its premises last week.

According to Remulla, Aplasca even gave the lock and load order in full view of the press.

Alan Cayetano, on the other hand, believes that the Senate was “under attack" the night of the incident.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has recommended filing charges against Aplasca and two other Senate security personnel for violating the Private Security Services Industry Act. –NB, GMA News