A public rebuke between two of the Philippines’ most prominent political brothers spilled into social media on Wednesday, when People’s Television Network General Manager Lino Cayetano pushed back against his older brother, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, over the latter’s pointed remarks aimed at civic leader Kiko Aquino-Dee.
“Hay. Tama na, Alan,” Lino wrote in a post, the brevity of it underscoring his message that the exchange had gone far enough.
The timing weighed heavily on the younger Cayetano. June 24 marks the death anniversary of former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, who died in 2021, and Lino pointed out that the same date carries private significance for his own family. It was on this day, he noted, that the Cayetano brothers also remember their late father, former Senator Rene Cayetano, who died in 2003.
“Apologies to the Aquino family,” Lino said. “Today is not only the death anniversary of PNoy, but also that of our dad.”
The plea followed Alan Peter’s broadside against Aquino-Dee, a co-convenor of the opposition coalition Tindig Pilipinas. Earlier on June 24, the senator told the civic leader to be mindful of his lineage and warned him against acting on behalf of the administration.
“Just remember who you are, Kiko. Aquino ka e, hindi ka Kiko Dee-Marcos. Don’t get instructions from the administration,” Alan Peter said.
The friction traces back to a complaint Tindig Pilipinas lodged before the Office of the Ombudsman, which sought to hold figures accountable over the circumstances that allowed Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa to leave Senate premises while wanted under an International Criminal Court warrant.
Rather than dwell on the political quarrel, Lino framed the date as an occasion better spent on solemn observance and a renewed sense of public duty.
“Perhaps this is a good day for prayer, reflection, and quiet remembrance for honoring those we have all lost and recommitting ourselves to serving the Filipino people through our actions,” he said.
The two brothers occupy strikingly different positions in the present political landscape. Lino was appointed to lead the state broadcaster earlier this year, while Alan Peter—who briefly held the Senate presidency in 2026 before being removed from the post—now sits as Minority Leader in a chamber still grappling with the leadership dispute that has dominated its agenda.
