Senator Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday criticized the Supreme Court petition filed by allies of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, calling it a “dirty trick” aimed at asserting authority amid an escalating Senate leadership dispute.
Lacson said the timing of the petition—filed on the eve of a special congressional session—appeared calculated to create procedural uncertainty as the Senate prepared to tackle priority legislation, Commission on Appointments confirmations, and leadership-related matters.
“Disgraced ex-SP Cayetano should have done that earlier to give the Court sufficient time to study and rule on the issue,” Lacson said, noting that the late filing came just before deliberations involving Senate leadership arrangements and other key agenda items.
He questioned whether the move was intended to allow the Cayetano bloc to continue exercising authority despite the pending legal challenge.
“Is he trying to dig deeper in his bag of dirty tricks to create a scene tomorrow?” Lacson said.
The senator also warned that the situation could place added pressure on Senate security personnel, particularly the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms, if tensions escalate during formal proceedings.
Lacson earlier said the majority bloc aligned with Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian is preparing for possible procedural disruptions during the special session, but stressed that the chamber would not allow any attempts to derail its agenda.
“Acting SP Gatchalian and the majority bloc should not and will not allow that,” he said, adding that the situation could test institutional discipline within the Senate.
He further described Cayetano’s role in the dispute in stark terms, saying the former Senate leader was central to the ongoing instability.
“That said, it is not accurate to say that Alan Peter Cayetano created this ongoing crisis. In actual fact, he is the crisis,” Lacson said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Mark Villar’s office confirmed that he is currently abroad for personal reasons in response to queries about his absence from the list of petitioners in the Supreme Court filing.
Sen. Joel Villanueva was also not among the petitioners, though his office has yet to issue a statement regarding his position.
The Supreme Court petition has added a new layer of tension to the Senate’s internal leadership dispute, which is expected to be further tested during the ongoing special session.