Taguig controversy: Did Senator Alan Peter Cayetano really ask for a 'ceasefire' in word war?

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano denied asking for a ceasefire in his ongoing word war with Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson 0ver Taguig infrastructure anomalies.

Lacson took aim at Cayetano on Friday, calling out his "insincerity" after Cayetano allegedly brokered a private ceasefire o—only to publicly deny it.

"Where is your sincerity when you offer a ceasefire, then deny it at the first opportunity?" Lacson said during interviews on DZBB and True FM.

Asked to confirm if Cayetano requested the truce, Lacson replied, "That is correct, absolutely."

Cayetano, however, said he did not ask for a ceasefire and that he is willing to face any accusations against him.

In a social media livestream on Thursday, Cayetano said, "akit niya sinasabing humihingi ako ng ceasefire? So, nung nagsimula siya magsabi ng mga alegasyon, nakikinig lang ako. Sabi niya, may ghost. Di naman niya sinabi ko, saan? So, syempre, sinabi ko lang, wala. O, tapos, inaraw-araw na niya ako." Cayetano said some senators asked him how long he will allow accusations to be made against him. "Reasonable kami. At hindi kami papayag sa sinungaling, hindi kami papayag na kung saan-saan dinadala. Ang gusto lang namin, patas at lumabas yung totoo, katotohanan."

According to Lacson, Cayetano allegedly began quietly lobbying for an end to hostilities last Wednesday, approaching at least five majority bloc senators individually.

The outreach ramped up early this week, with Cayetano focusing on a key senator to relay the proposal.

The matter came to a head during a majority bloc caucus on Wednesday, where Lacson urged his colleagues to demand proof of good faith before entertaining any truce. Cayetano's public denial shortly after gave them their answer, Lacson said.

Lacson noted this wasn't an isolated incident, pointing out that Cayetano had also asked Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Erwin Tulfo to pause hearings on an alleged flood control scandal, only to later dispute Tulfo's account to the media.

"Where is the sincerity?" Lacson asked.

He also dismissed Cayetano’s appeal for the Senate to get back to legislative business, calling it ironic given Cayetano's role in disrupting the chamber earlier this year.

"He claims we should get back to work. In the first place, who disrupted and continues to disrupt the Senate's work?" Lacson said, maintaining that the Senate has been running smoothly under Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian.

Lacson added that committees are fully organized and legislative work is moving forward, noting his own recent Department of Finance briefing as chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.

-Paraluman News