Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson voiced hopes that the rants of former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, especially on his Facebook Live, would not spiral into a full-blown meltdown, or worse.
Lacson debunked Cayetano’s latest allegations, noting that Cayetano’s increasingly baseless and erratic outbursts in recent days reflect a “quicksand mentality” and should no longer be taken seriously.
“Kawawa naman. Kung anu-ano na sinasabi. Parang malapit nang bumigay. Sana hindi matuluyang mag-meltdown. Ipagdasal natin na huwag makaisip magpatiwakal (I pity him. He’s now saying all sorts of things. It seems he’s about to break down. I hope it doesn’t lead to a full meltdown. Let’s pray suicide doesn’t cross his mind),” he said in a post on X.
In a speech he posted on his Facebook Live Friday, Cayetano made new accusations against Lacson and other members of the Senate majority bloc. He called Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Raffy Tulfo “lapdogs” of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
He also called Sen. Erwin Tulfo a “lapdog” of Lacson, whom he called a “dog” that carries out orders.
“ASO? I WILL NEVER ADMIT THAT. Pero siya—Kuya Ping ang tawag niya sa akin—matagal na… SELF-ADMISSION yata ang tawag dun (Me, a dog? I will never admit that. But for him to have called me ‘Kuya Ping’ and then call me a dog, it could be a case of self-admission for him),” Lacson said.
Lacson recalled that he adopted and helped Cayetano when he first ran in the Arroyo administration’s midterm senatorial elections in 2007. At the time, Lacson was among the candidates considered highly winnable, while Cayetano faced a nuisance candidate named Joselito Cayetano who used the nickname “Peter.”
They both ran under then “Genuine Opposition” alongside several prominent opposition candidates including the late Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, Lorna Regina “Loren” Legarda, Francis “Chiz” Escudero, and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.
But now, Lacson noted that Cayetano had fallen into a “quicksand mentality,” resorting to marathon Facebook Live posts to justify his “Senate presidency,” including the waste of P25 million per day during his 28-day “leadership.”
Lacson had noted that the 28 days under Cayetano’s “leadership” had zero legislative output and were instead marred by several controversies.
“QUICKSAND MENTALITY: Defending the indefensible and justifying the unjustifiable. Ex. comparing two different expenses without showing the receipts,” he said on X.