Atom: Cayetano's comparison to Ninoy Aquino, use of 'Laban' sign insulting

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s comparison of his group’s political struggle in the Senate to the fight waged by the late opposition leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. against the Marcos dictatorship is “laughable,” “insulting” and “delusional,” a progressive group said.

The August Twenty-One Movement (Atom) in a statement on Saturday also called Cayetano “Lapastangan” for invoking the iconic “Laban” sign associated with the anti-authoritarian movement.

“The delusions of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano know no bounds, as he compared their so-called ‘struggle’ in the Senate to that of the fight of Senator Ninoy Aquino against the Marcos Sr. dictatorship,” the group said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.

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“So take your ‘L,’ not as ‘LABAN’ (to fight), but as ‘LAPASTANGAN’ (an insult). An insult to the values that Ninoy Aquino and the Filipinos who toppled the Marcos dictatorship fought for,” it added.

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The statement came after Cayetano, during a livestream on Independence Day, likened his bloc’s struggles in the Senate to the fight associated with Aquino and the opposition movement against the Marcos dictatorship.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano flashing “L” sign during his Facebook Live on June 12, 2026.

He also flashed the “L” hand sign, saying it symbolized the need to continue fighting for what he described as Senate independence and the truth behind issues confronting the chamber.

Atom argued that Aquino fought against “fascism, corruption and the lack of accountability,” which it said were values opposed by the camp Cayetano now belongs to.

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“It is ironic that this camp, after having endorsed and danced for the Marcoses in 2022, now try to present itself as Ninoy’s heirs. You are not Ninoy’s heirs. You are enemies of the values he represents,” the group said.

“You are not revolutionaries. You are ‘delusionaries,’ a new term coined especially for your lot,” it added.

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The group likewise renewed its call for Cayetano to resign as senator, accusing him and his allies of violating the law, pursuing power, and obstructing the constitutional process for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. /apl

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