Cayetano siblings to return Saturday, NBI says

Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Pia Cayetano are expected to return to the Philippines on Saturday, following their departure abroad on Wednesday, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag said on Friday. "I have information that they will be coming back tomorrow, tomorrow," Matibag said in an ambush interview. The Bureau of Immigration confirmed that there were no hold departure orders or derogatory records against the siblings that would prevent them from leaving. Matibag stated that while he saw no issue with their travel itself, the public's reaction due to the timing is understandable. "If they really just went on vacation, there is no problem, no? But of course, the timing, we cannot prevent the people from making comments," he said. The siblings' trip comes amidst controversy surrounding alleged anomalies in flood control projects in Taguig City, which have been linked to Alan Peter Cayetano. In July, Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson announced that his office had turned over documentary and testimonial evidence to the Office of the Ombudsman, connecting Cayetano to the alleged anomalies. Cayetano, in turn, accused Lacson of initiating a "demolition job" over claims on the infrastructure projects in Taguig City, a move dismissed by Lacson as "pathetic." Separately, the NBI is also investigating alleged anomalies during the Philippines' hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. However, Matibag noted that they are facing difficulties in linking Cayetano to these alleged anomalies due to a lack of a paper trail, as he was technically not the chair of the organizing committee. —VAL, GMA News