SENATOR Panfilo Lacson launched a sharp rebuttal on Sunday against Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, declaring that his colleague deserves to be detained at the Quezon City jail over alleged corruption.
The heated exchange erupted after Cayetano publicly claimed that Lacson and Senator Erwin Tulfo saw their net worth more than double in recent years. Lacson immediately rejected the accusation, insisting that all his assets were lawfully acquired through real estate transactions and legitimate business ventures.
Lacson further emphasized that his integrity has always been his strongest defense, and that Cayetano’s attacks had crossed a clear line. “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 stated in a post on X. He stressed that he has never resorted to questionable practices throughout his decades in public service.
At the center of his counter‑accusations is the claim that Cayetano inserted some ₱6.79 billion worth of projects into the 2025 General Appropriations Act. Lacson alleged that unlike Cayetano, he never made any such budget insertions since becoming a senator. He also raised concerns over reported ghost projects in Taguig City, which Cayetano has long represented and served as a political stronghold.
Lacson added that of the total ₱6.79 billion in allocations Cayetano supposedly secured, only 68 out of 70 listed projects were implemented, leaving roughly ₱75 million unaccounted for or unobligated. “In short, a total of ₱6.715B ang nagastos. While you do the math, we will keep digging,” he said, vowing to pursue the matter further and present evidence to back up his allegations.
metrosundaily
