Cayetano Siblings Return from Singapore Amid Scrutiny

MANILA, Philippines — Sens. Alan Peter Cayetano and Pia Cayetano returned to the Philippines late Saturday after a brief trip to Singapore that drew scrutiny amid separate investigations involving the former Senate president. Alan arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on the evening of September 12, three days after leaving the country. Sources told Philstar.com that he arrived aboard a Singapore Airlines flight that landed at 11:12 p.m. In a livestream after his return, Alan described the trip as private but did not disclose its purpose. “I’m back, I don’t know why nagkaroon ng malaking issue. I don’t know why the discussions became personal,” Alan said. (“I’m back. I don’t know why it became such a big issue. I don’t know why the discussions became personal.”) Neither of Cayetano's siblings was barred from leaving the country. The Bureau of Immigration earlier said there were no hold departure orders or derogatory records against them at the time of their departure. Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri had said Alan’s trip was for health reasons, while Sen. Panfilo Lacson said he understood that the travel may have been health-related. Pia, meanwhile, said while in Singapore that she was there to support the Philippine National Padel Team as it prepared for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where padel will make its debut as a medal sport. Alan’s departure on September 9 drew attention as the National Bureau of Investigation is building a case arising from its broader investigation into alleged irregularities surrounding the 2019 Southeast Asian Games organizer, which he chaired.