Cayetanos back from Singapore trip: 'We just wanted to rest'

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Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Sunday said he and his family traveled to Singapore simply to take a break, amid questions over their trip abroad.

In a Facebook Live early Sunday, Cayetano said the trip was private and that there was no reason why they could not travel.

“Private yun at gusto lang magpahinga (It was a private trip and we just wanted to rest),” Cayetano said.

The Cayetano siblings were seen arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport early Sunday.

He said “responsible” public officials, including those from the Bureau of Immigration and the Office of the Ombudsman, had said there was no reason why they could not travel.

Cayetano said he was surprised that their “routine, quiet and short” trip became an issue, which he attributed to what he described as the country’s increasingly “toxic” political environment, where people are quick to create conflict and controversy.

The Senate minority leader’s trip abroad raised questions amid reports linking him to the controversy over the construction of the cauldron, or “kaldero,” used during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

Senator Panfilo Lacson has also submitted to the Ombudsman case studies, supported by official documents, detailing the supposed “systemic anomalies” in flood control infrastructure projects in Taguig City, the political bailiwick of the Cayetanos.

Cayetano also referred to what he described as Lacson’s “persecution” of him and his family, as well as Taguig.

“Pinapaubaya ko na sa Panginoon (I leave it to the Lord),” he said.

He said threatened cases, investigations and what he described as constantly changing accusations were part of the cost of fighting for the country.— MCG, GMA News