P700-M in public funds wasted under Alan Peter Cayetano leadership, says Ping Lacson

Around P700 million in public funds were allegedly wasted less than a month into the senate presidency of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, according to Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson.

Lacson on Thursday lamented the supposed waste of taxpayers' money while citing the lowlights of Cayetano's senate presidency included the shooting inside the Senate that occurred two days after the latter took helm of the Senate, and the escape of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa while under the Senate's "protective custody."

"The Philippine Senate in 28 days under Alan Peter Cayetano: Estimated Cost - P700M. Output - chaos, gunfire, Bato’s escape despite ICC-issued warrant while under its 'protective custody,' session boycott, failed destabilization attempt, unauthorized committee hearings highlighted by one not presided nor attended by a single senator," Lacson said on X (formerly Twitter).

"What a waste of taxpayers' money," he added.

Cayetano on Wednesday morning accepted that he will no longer be Senate president after Senator Joel Villanueva will join the new majority. He was ousted by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian.

"This is a fresh start. And I hope everybody will cooperate, including the members of the minority," Lacson said.

Cayetano responds

Cayetano, for his part, said Senate operations costs P25 million per day regardless of who is Senate President.

"Sabi ko tutal, magaling mag-divide sila Senator Lacson. Very divisive. Dinivide ko. Kasi ang ginamit niya, 28 days daw ako naging Senate President. So, tignan niyo po ha. Multiply mo ang...P25 million na sinabi ni Senator Win na gastos ng Senate a day, i-multiply mo yun sa 28 days and baliktarin mo naman, division, P700 million divided by 28 days is P25 million. Yun din naman ang ginawa ni Senator Win," he said in a video he posted on Facebook.

(Since Senator Lacson is good in division and being divisive, I copied him. I divided the Senate budget by 28 days. I also multiplied P25M to 28 days, it totaled P700 million.)

"So nasaan 'yung intellectual dishonesty? Nasaan ang pagtatago ng katotohanan? Simple lang po. Kahit sino po ang Senate President, 25 million a day ang gastos ng Senado kung ganung kasimple ang computation mo," he added.

(Where's the intellectual dishonesty? It is simple -- he Senate needs P25M per day to operate and that is regardless of who is the Senate President.)

Back to work

Gatchalian, for his part, said the Senate has gone “back to work.”

"Kinompute namin ang budget ng Senate per day is about P24 million. The Senate is a big institution. We have 2,000 people..so if you count those days, those are the days na naging unproductive. Kaay nasabi ko before na sayang ang pera ng tao," he said.

(We computed it and the budget to operate the Senate per day is about P24 million. The Senate is a big institution. We have 2,000 people... so if you count those days, those are the days that we were unproductive. That's why I said it before that the taxpayers' money were wasted.)

"Babawiin naman natin yan in the next few days. We'll go back to work," the senator added.

(We will recover. We will get back to work.) —RF, GMA News