senator alan peter cayetano

SENATOR-JUDGE Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday said the Senate should pursue its investigation into alleged flood control anomalies with the same urgency as the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, arguing that accountability must extend beyond a single public official.

Speaking to reporters after the first day of the impeachment trial proceedings on July 6, Cayetano said the impeachment case should not be the public’s only measure of accountability in government.

“People should demand better government. People should demand total accountability. We’re here, we’re present, we’re going to hold the Vice President accountable. But let’s also hold accountable lahat ng involved sa flood control [controversy],” he said.

The senator also questioned the lack of progress in the proposed Blue Ribbon Committee inquiry into alleged irregularities in flood control projects.

“Kung ma-schedule natin ng 30 weeks na tuloy-tuloy y’ung trial, bakit hindi ma-schedule y’ung [pagtalakay ng] flood control sa Blue Ribbon Committee at ilabas kung sino y’ung mga talagang witnesses?” Cayetano said.

He also urged Filipinos to closely follow the impeachment proceedings and understand the issues through objective explanations rather than partisan politics.

“Tiyagain niyo lang po, day by day. Hopefully, y’ung mga [law school] dean [at] y’ung mga legal experts [ay] ma-explain nila [ang impeachment trial] in a non-partisan way,” he said.

Cayetano said lawmakers must continue legislating and conducting oversight even as the impeachment trial proceeds.

“Tatlong kailangan natin isabay-sabay. Impeachment, legislation, at saka yung flood control. We have to find a way na isabay-sabay lahat ito,” he said.

SENATE Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano is calling for a shift in how the government handles crises, urging stronger preparation, deeper review of past actions, and a more deliberate approach before responding to emerging threats.

In a recent livestream, Cayetano said effective governance should begin long before a crisis unfolds, stressing that early recognition of risks allows the government to act more decisively.

“Alam natin na kung hindi man crisis, yung potential for crisis [naroon.] That’s why maraming bansa [ang] nag-create ng separate crisis committee kasi you have to continue governing, but you also have to have your contingency plans and the actual reaction whether relief iyan or on-the-spot reforms,” he said.

He emphasized the need to “review and rewind” before making decisions and warned that failure to learn from past mistakes can lead to bigger problems.

“Napakaimportante ng review at rewind. Bakit? Para hindi mo maulit y’ung problema. Para hindi maulit y’ung mali. A problem should be met by a solution, not with a bigger problem,” he said.

Cayetano said without this step, the government risks repeating the same errors. He also underscored the importance of accurate data in both planning and response, noting that wrong information leads to flawed policies and poor delivery of aid.

“If we don’t learn our lessons, we’ll keep having bigger problems. Kung mali ang facts natin, mali rin ang conclusion natin,” he said.

The Minority Leader added that preparation must reflect real conditions on the ground as challenges differ across regions.

“Hindi pwedeng ‘one size fits all’… kailangan personalized iyan. Kailangan nakatutok iyan sa sitwasyon ng lugar,” he said.

Cayetano said while the government’s crisis response is improving, the people are expecting a “coordinated, comprehensive” approach.

He added that preparation also requires focus and foresight, encouraging Filipinos to take part in building a more responsive system.

“Pray for specific points so that we will always be more prepared and we can plan better. That way, we can leverage and have a better response sa lahat ng problema ng ating bansa,” Cayetano said.

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senator alan peter cayetano

Cayetano: Senate should pursue flood control probe with same urgency as impeachment

Cayetano highlights need to shift from reactive to proactive crisis management