Cayetano calls Lacson ‘divisive’, slams P700M estimate

MANILA, Philippines — Former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday accused Sen. Panfilo Lacson of being “divisive” and engaging in “intellectual dishonesty” after the latter claimed that the Senate spent P700 million during Cayetano’s 28-day stint as Senate president with only “chaos” as the outcome.

“I said, where could that figure have come from? Then I said, since Senator Lacson is very good at dividing things, very divisive. I divided it myself. Seven hundred million pesos divided by 28 days is 25 million pesos,” Cayetano said mostly in Filipino during a Facebook live

“Where is the intellectual dishonesty in that? Where is the attempt to hide the truth?” he went on.

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According to him, the computation does not show any additional spending incurred under his leadership, since the Senate would have spent roughly the same amount regardless of who occupied the chamber’s top post.

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“Simple lang po. Kahit sino po ang Senate President, P25 million a day ang gastos ng Senado kung ganyang kasimple ang computation mo,” Cayetano said.

(“It’s simple. No matter who the Senate President is, the Senate spends ₱25 million a day if your computation is that simplistic.”)

READ: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2248517/lacson-cayetanos-chaotic-leadership-cost-the-senate-approx-p700m

Cayetano, however, maintained that the figure was being used to create a misleading narrative about his brief leadership of the chamber.

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To illustrate his point, he cited a quote he recalled about the use of statistics.

“Statistics is like a bikini. Why? What it shows is very revealing, but what it hides is essential,” he said.

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“So makikita nyo po, ni-reveal niya, parang pang-intriga, di ba? Kasi magaling naman talaga silang mga intriga eh,” Cayetano went on.

(“So you can see, he revealed it in a way that seemed intended to stir intrigue, right? Because they’re really good at that kind of intrigue.”)

Lacson earlier described Cayetano’s 28-day tenure as Senate president as a waste of taxpayers’ money, saying the Senate spent an estimated P700 million during a period marked by leadership disputes, session boycotts, and political turmoil.

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Cayetano however said that legislative output slowed because Senate President Win Gatchalian’s bloc refused to fill committee posts and participate in Senate work, then later showcased a burst of legislative activity during the June 17 special session to contrast with his 28-day tenure. /jpv