Days after breaking down on the Senate floor, Senator Pia Cayetano turned to social media Friday night to join a viral trend — and to reassure her followers she has made peace with what happened.
“Kumusta na po kayong lahat? Balita ko trending na raw po ang ‘kumusta ka?’ Kaya ako magtatanong sa bawat isa sa inyo, kumusta ka?” the senator said during a Facebook live session.
The lighthearted post followed her emotional speech last May 20, when Cayetano pushed back against Senator Risa Hontiveros’ comments suggesting the Senate had returned to business as usual after the May 13 shooting incident inside the chamber complex. In that speech, Cayetano said she felt overlooked by former allies in the majority bloc, noting that not one of them had reached out to check on her after the traumatic episode.
“Wala akong sinisisi pero pagkatapos ng lahat, pagtingin ko ng group natin, ‘yung dating majority group—wala ni isang nangamusta sa amin,” she said on the Senate floor.
That claim, however, was disputed. Senator Erwin Tulfo said he was among those who reached out to Cayetano through their group chat. Senators Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Bam Aquino, and Sherwin Gatchalian also reportedly sent her messages. Reports also noted that Senators Camille Villar, Mark Villar, and Loren Legarda personally approached Cayetano after her speech.
By Friday, Cayetano said there were no hard feelings.
“After my speech, maraming lumapit sa akin kasi friends po talaga kami, and I really appreciate you guys who approached me… You know what, guys, wala na sa ‘kin ‘yon, wala naman akong mapapala kung ikasama pa loob ko,” she said.
She also acknowledged that her show of emotion reflected her humanity, not weakness. “You’ve seen me expressing my feelings as somebody who is scared, who was… masama ang loob (whose feelings were hurt)… I felt bad because I am human. But what’s important for me is I was able to move on,” she added.
Using the trending “kumusta ka?” moment as a springboard, Cayetano offered her followers an informal lesson on mental wellness, grounded in her personal interest in psychology.
“I want to take advantage of this trend, kumusta ka… I am a fan of psychology… I studied on my own, I read a lot,” she said, urging people to express their feelings rather than bottle them up. “Ilabas mo, sabihin mo… Then move on ka na kasi wala ka naman mapapala na bitbit mo yon the whole time.”
The May 13 incident that set off the week’s tensions involved an alleged shooting between the Senate Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms and the National Bureau of Investigation inside the Senate premises. Hours after the incident, Senator Bato dela Rosa — who was under the Senate’s protective custody due to an outstanding International Criminal Court arrest warrant — left the building.
