Lacson claims Cayetano's attacks crossed line; informants may provide info 'to put him in jail'

Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson on Sunday decried Senator Alan Peter Cayetano's attack on his integrity, stating that it had "crossed the line." Lacson indicated that he is counting on informants and witnesses who may have information and evidence that could lead to Cayetano's imprisonment. "My integrity is my first and last line of defense and I will fight to defend it with all my might. Sen Cayetano has crossed the line by attacking it," Lacson said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. He added, "As of this morning, I’m still counting informants and witnesses, directly or through intermediaries, willing to provide information and evidence to put him in his proper place - the Payatas, QC jail." Lacson further stated that he is neither an abusive nor a corrupt government official, having experienced power and knowing how to handle it. "I’ve tasted power and I know how to handle power through personal experience. Hindi ako abusado at hindi ako corrupt na government official (I am neither abusive nor corrupt)," Lacson said. In a separate statement, Cayetano, during a Facebook Live broadcast on Sunday afternoon, countered that he was not the one questioning Lacson's integrity. Instead, he claimed, "It is the entire nation that questioned his integrity when he stopped the investigation after it reached the Bersamin files. There is a lot to discuss about that. There is also more evidence that can still be pursued." In a Facebook Live broadcast on Saturday, Cayetano had questioned the Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) of Lacson and Senate blue ribbon committee chairperson Erwin Tulfo. He remarked, "Regarding Senator Lacson, what is the actual figure? I didn’t really pay that much attention, but it appears that his [net worth in his] SALN doubled." He also described the arrests of minority senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta as "political prisoners." Lacson denied these claims, asserting that he acquired his money legitimately through private businesses and that his income increased only after leaving government service, which he said could be verified through his income tax returns. He then countered Cayetano's insinuation by accusing him of securing billions of pesos in budget insertions. "Unlike Sen. Cayetano, with P6.79 billion in budget insertions under the 2025 GAA (General Appropriations Act), I have had no insertions, a.k.a. pork barrel, since I became a senator. And I do not receive any 25% kickback from slope protection and other infrastructure projects," Lacson stated. "I don’t know about him, but I have consistently refused lobby money in relation to my job as a legislator," he said in a statement issued later Saturday. —KG, GMA News