Speaking directly to followers through a Facebook livestream on Friday, Senator Pia Cayetano dismissed suggestions that her recent departure from the Philippines was an attempt to dodge scrutiny, framing the trip instead as a long-planned show of support for the country’s national padel athletes.
Cayetano, who founded and leads the Padel Pilipinas federation recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission, said the visit had been on her calendar well ahead of the controversy now swirling around her family. She described the Singapore leg as a warm-up for the athletes before the Asian Games.
“Itong Singapore, sinadya kong pumunta because this is the tune-up game before the Asian Games,” she said during the broadcast.
The senator pushed back sharply against online chatter portraying her as a fugitive. “Daming nagtatanong kung nasaan daw ako, parang naman nakikipag-taguan ako. Hindi ako nakikipagtaguan, wala akong tinataguan, wala akong reason na magtago, yung gumagawa ng mga kwento, tingin niyo ba na tama yung gagawa ng kwento?” she said.
Her remarks followed confirmation a day earlier by the Bureau of Immigration that both she and her brother, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, had exited the country. According to the agency, no hold-departure orders or derogatory records stood against either senator as of their departure, meaning nothing legally barred them from traveling. The siblings were reportedly seen boarding a Singapore-bound flight and landing at Changi Airport on Wednesday evening, which set off public speculation about the reason for the trip.
Per Inquirer.net, the National Bureau of Investigation said the two senators are expected back in Manila either Saturday or Sunday evening. NBI Director Melvin Matibag has publicly questioned the timing of their exit.
The scrutiny traces back to two separate government inquiries. The NBI is examining alleged irregularities in the Philippines’ staging of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, an event whose organizing committee was chaired by Alan Peter Cayetano. Rappler reported that the bureau’s task force is reviewing claims that the organizing body received between P10 billion and P15 billion in government funds.
A second track involves the Office of the Ombudsman, which is running a fact-finding review of materials submitted by Senator Panfilo Lacson concerning a reclamation undertaking on the Taguig side of Laguna Lake. Philstar.com reported that Lacson has characterized this reclamation matter as distinct from separate allegations of “ghost” flood control projects along the Taguig River that the Ombudsman is likewise looking into.
