MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang has told Sen. Pia Cayetano that she has no reason to panic if she has done nothing wrong, after the senator publicly expressed concern over her liberty and questioned why the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) appeared to have information about her movements during a recent trip to Singapore.
The exchange came amid the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, where Cayetano serves as one of the senator-judges.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, in a video statement on Friday, Sept. 18, cited NBI Director Melvin Matibag’s previous remarks that the bureau was not monitoring Cayetano.
“Sen. Pia does not need to panic,” Castro said, according to the Philippine News Agency. She added that Matibag had expressed surprise at the senator’s reaction and denied that he was monitoring her.
The Palace response followed Cayetano’s emotional remarks during the impeachment proceedings on Sept. 16, when she said she felt pressured and feared for both her liberty and her right to speak.
Cayetano questions why NBI knew about her return
Cayetano had said that she traveled to Singapore to support a Philippine national team and was troubled by statements attributed to Matibag indicating that the NBI had information about her whereabouts and expected return to the Philippines.
“Am I a fugitive?” Cayetano asked during the Senate proceedings, according to GMA News.
She said she felt pressured and feared for her liberty and her right to speak, particularly as several senators were facing legal or other circumstances that had affected their participation in the impeachment proceedings.
The senator and her brother, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, had traveled to Singapore on Sept. 9 and returned to the Philippines on Sept. 12.
The Bureau of Immigration previously confirmed that the siblings were allowed to leave the country because there were no hold-departure orders or derogatory records that legally prevented them from traveling.
Why the Singapore trip became an issue
The Cayetanos’ travel attracted attention amid investigations involving alleged irregularities in government-funded projects and the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Before their trip, Matibag said the NBI had information indicating when the siblings might return to the Philippines. Philstar reported that Matibag also said there was nothing inherently wrong with their travel and that they should be given the benefit of the doubt.
The controversy intensified after Cayetano raised the issue during the impeachment trial.
The senator’s concerns also came against the backdrop of investigations involving her brother, including scrutiny of alleged irregularities connected to infrastructure projects in Taguig and the NBI’s renewed examination of issues surrounding the 2019 SEA Games.
The Department of Justice has maintained that the NBI’s investigations are grounded in its legal mandate and the rule of law.
Palace links concerns to ongoing investigations
Castro questioned whether Cayetano’s apprehension was connected to her name being mentioned in relation to an alleged P1.5-billion budget insertion involving her brother.
According to PNA, the Palace said the funds were reportedly intended for projects involving Laguna Lake improvements and slope protection.
Castro argued that investigations should not automatically be interpreted as politically motivated simply because those being investigated are not government allies. She said agencies and courts are performing their mandates regardless of the impeachment proceedings.
The allegations surrounding the projects remain matters of investigation and should not be treated as established wrongdoing.
Separate investigations add to the political tension
The dispute comes as scrutiny of projects in Taguig and Laguna Lake has intensified.
Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has alleged that billions of pesos in public funds may have been wasted on flood-control and multipurpose projects in reclamation areas of Laguna Lake in Taguig.
In a recent disclosure, Lacson placed the value of identified completed, ongoing and suspended projects at about P3.713 billion, while also raising questions about alleged double appropriations and other projects.
These are allegations and claims arising from Lacson’s investigation; they remain subject to verification and proceedings by the appropriate government agencies.
Alan Peter Cayetano has rejected allegations of wrongdoing and has criticized what he described as premature conclusions regarding the Taguig projects.
Separately, the NBI has also been investigating alleged irregularities surrounding the country’s hosting of the 2019 SEA Games, when Alan Peter Cayetano was chairperson of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee.
The Department of Justice has said the NBI’s actions are based on its mandate, while Cayetano has questioned the timing and circumstances surrounding the investigation.
The bigger issue: impeachment trial under pressure
Cayetano’s remarks also came as the Senate grapples with questions about the voting threshold required to convict Duterte.
The Senate had previously recognized a 16-vote threshold, corresponding to two-thirds of the 24-member Senate. The issue became more complicated after circumstances involving several senator-judges affected participation in the trial.
Four retired Supreme Court justices were invited to provide legal perspectives on the matter, with retired Chief Justice Reynato Puno, retired Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban and retired Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna appearing before the impeachment court, while former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. submitted a legal memorandum.
Against this backdrop, Cayetano’s comments about her liberty have become part of a broader debate over whether legal investigations and proceedings involving senators could affect the independence of senator-judges participating in the impeachment case.
For now, the Palace maintains that investigations should proceed according to law and that those who have done nothing wrong have no reason to fear them.
Cayetano, meanwhile, has publicly raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the NBI’s knowledge of her travel and has said she fears for her liberty and her ability to speak freely in the Senate.
The competing claims remain part of an unfolding political and legal controversy, with the investigations and impeachment proceedings still underway.
