Alan Cayetano: Continue SEA Games probe, we'll resume flood control investigation

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday dared the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to continue its investigation into the alleged anomalies in the bidding and funding of the projects for the 2019 SEA Games.

However, Cayetano said the investigation would also prompt the Senate minority bloc to resume its probe into the massive flood control scandal.

"Ito ang proposal natin sa NBI, sa Malacañang, at saka sa DOJ — imbestigahan niyo yung Southeast Asian Games of 2019, kung saan tayo nag-overall champion at tiningala ng buong Southeast Asia, imbestigahan niyo nang husto, bigay niyo lahat," said Cayetano on Facebook Live.

"We will support totally....tapos, ako naman, sampo ng aming mga kasama na ngayon ay nasa minority, imbestigahan naman namin ang flood control. Ano? Deal?" he said.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag earlier said he would create a task force to investigate alleged anomalies in the 2019 SEA Games, citing the "new information and documents" the bureau recently received involving the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC).

Cayetano was the chairperson of the PHISGOC in 2019.

In response, the senator-judge made a manifestation during the sixth day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, questioning whether Matibag's remarks were meant to intimidate him.

“It’s not easy. 24 lang kami. Nabawasan na ng tatlo (we lost three senators already). So I hope this issue of the integrity of the court becomes an issue for all of us,” Cayetano said.

(“I’ll repeat what I said when I was Senate President---Director, hindi mo kami natibag (you failed to break us). So, ‘wag mo try tibagin itong representation na ‘to o itong (don’t try to do it again to this representation or to this) impeachment court because what you’re doing is not helping,” he added.

Matibag is set to be presented by the House prosecution panel as a witness in Duterte’s trial, testifying on Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, detailing the supposed grave threat and assassination plot against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.

The NBI director is expected to face the impeachment court next Monday, July 20, 2026. —LDF, GMA News