Senator Ping Lacson clamed that former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano “spent” or “wasted” nearly P700 million during his 28-day leadership has become a major point of political debate following a series of exchanges between Senators Ping Lacson and Alan Peter Cayetano.
The controversy began on June 18, 2026, when Senator Ping Lacson posted on X that Cayetano’s brief 28-day tenure as Senate President cost taxpayers almost P700 million while producing little to no legislative output.
He cited Cayetano’s short stint as being marked by political instability, including the fatal shooting inside the Senate compound shortly after Cayetano assumed the Senate presidency; the escape of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa from Senate protective custody; repeated session boycotts; failed attempts to destabilize the chamber; and committee hearings that failed to proceed because of the absence of senators, particularly the then-majority bloc.
Lacson’s computation was based on an earlier statement by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian that the Senate spends approximately P25 million every day for salaries, employee benefits, maintenance and other operating expenses, utilities, and other institutional costs.
Multiplying the daily operating cost by Cayetano’s 28-day tenure results in roughly P700 million, a figure that is also consistent with the Senate’s appropriations under the 2026 General Appropriations Act.
Meanwhile, in Cayetano’s defense on his Facebook live, these operating costs are fixed institutional expenditures that the Senate incurs regardless of who serves as Senate President. He pointed out that whether Cayetano, Gatchalian, or any other senator occupied the position, the chamber would still incur substantially the same amount in daily operating costs.
In his new X and Facebook post, Lacson clarified this Friday that his criticism was not about the existence of the Senate’s operating expenses, but about what taxpayers received in return during Cayetano’s leadership. His point was that the government continued spending approximately P25 million daily yet the Senate experienced prolonged political deadlockand minimal legislative activity.
Cayetano’s bloc boycotted Senate sessions from June 1 to 3, preventing the chamber from obtaining a quorum. The impasse ended after Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero attended the session on June 3, allowing the opposing bloc to establish a quorum and eventually declare leadership positions vacant.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who is now the Senate President, was at that time elected Senate President Pro Tempore and initially served as acting presiding officer while the chamber reorganized its leadership. Throughout this period, legislative work was significantly disrupted as rival factions competed for control of the Senate.
The ₱700 million figure is real and is based on the Senate’s estimated daily operating expenses of about ₱25 million over the 28 days Cayetano led the chamber. Lacson’s point was that taxpayers continued paying the Senate’s normal operating costs while the chamber accomplished relatively little because of the political impasse.
