Cayetano Siblings Return to PH After Singapore Trip Amid Controversy

MANILA, Philippines — Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Pia Cayetano returned to the country on Saturday after their Singapore trip. “Through GOD’S grace, we are back! And in the arms of our beloved Pilipinas,” the former Senate president said in a Facebook post on Saturday night. Sen. Pia Cayetano, in a Facebook post on Friday, said her Singapore trip was scheduled and planned way before to support the national team at the Asia Pacific’s Padel Tour. However, she did not disclose whether her brother’s visit was similar to hers or for different reasons. The Bureau of Immigration confirmed that the two senators left the country on Wednesday. Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said the trip was “not an issue as of the moment,” noting that Alan Peter should be given a “break from the stress caused by issues that he himself created.” Lacson and Alan Peter have been engaged in a public dispute over alleged irregularities in flood control and reclamation projects in Taguig City. At least 45 case studies backed by official documents detailing “systemic anomalies” in flood control infrastructure projects in Taguig City were submitted by Lacson to the Office of the Ombudsman. Alan Peter is also being investigated by the National Bureau of Investigation and the Ombudsman over alleged irregularities in the country’s hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, where he served as chair of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee.