Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has escalated his running feud with the Senate majority, calling Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Senator Raffy Tulfo “tuta” (lapdogs) of Malacañang during a Facebook Live broadcast.
“Sabi ni Raffy Tulfo, hindi daw sila Malacañang. In other words, hindi sila tuta. But doon mo makikita yung graduated and experienced. Bakit? Kasi si Sen. Tito Sotto and Sen. Raffy Tulfo, at least sila tuta ng Malacañang. Pero si Erwin Tulfo, tuta lang ni Lacson,” Cayetano said, as reported by Manila Bulletin. He went further on Senator Panfilo Lacson, adding: “Hindi na po tuta si Sen. Lacson. Aso na po siya.”
The remarks are the latest in a weeks-long war of words between Cayetano and the bloc that displaced him from the Senate leadership. Cayetano has waged much of that campaign on social media, drawing criticism from colleagues. Raffy Tulfo previously dared him to report to plenary sessions rather than livestream his grievances, as reported by the Philippine STAR, challenging Cayetano to appear “if you’re brave.”
Cayetano has defended his frequent broadcasts, arguing that fellow senators — including Lacson and the Tulfo brothers — likewise use Facebook to amplify their messaging, and attributing their irritation to the volume of views he draws, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
The personal jabs unfold against a deeper institutional dispute. Cayetano was ousted as Senate President in early June after Senator Francis Escudero’s surprise appearance allowed the chamber to reach a quorum and install Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as acting Senate President, with Sotto later elected Senate President Pro Tempore on June 17. Cayetano’s bloc has since petitioned the Supreme Court to void the proceedings, the Manila Times reported, arguing the leadership transition lacked a legal quorum — a challenge that, if it succeeds, could unsettle the chamber’s revamped committee assignments and its stalled inquiry into the flood control scandal.
