Former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano accused some members of the Senate majority bloc of being alleged lackeys of Malacañang, using the terms “tuta” (puppy) and “aso” (dog) in a Facebook Live video.
Cayetano singled out Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Senator Raffy Tulfo, claiming they were “tuta ng Malacañang.”
“Si Senator Tito Sotto and Senator Raffy Tulfo, at least sila tuta ng Malacañang. Pero si Erwin Tulfo, tuta lang ni Lacson. Hindi siya tuta ng Malacañang. Kasi nga may hawak sa kanya si Senator Lacson na alam sa kanya,” Cayetano claimed.
He also directed remarks at Senator Panfilo Lacson.
“Hindi na po tuta si Senator Lacson. Aso na po siya. Matagal na po eh,” Cayetano said, adding that there are different kinds of dogs, including those that “bark and file cases.”
In a message to reporters, Sotto dismissed the issue, saying the country should focus on more pressing concerns.
“Bakit kasi pinapatulan n’yo pa iyan mga ganyan. Parang telenovela style. It’s not good for the country. Let’s move on to more urgent issues to help our countrymen,” Sotto said.
Lacson, meanwhile, said he felt sorry for Cayetano and hoped his longtime colleague would not suffer a “complete meltdown.”
“Actually, on one hand, naaawa talaga ako sa kanya. Sana hindi mag-complete meltdown, kasi magkaibigan naman kaming matagal na, nung opposition congressman pa siya,” Lacson said.
He recalled supporting Cayetano during the latter’s first Senate bid in 2007, when they both ran under the Genuine Opposition coalition.
“I in-adopt and inalagaan ko pa ‘yan noong 2007 when he first ran in the senatorial elections. We ran together under the Genuine Opposition alongside several prominent opposition candidates,” Lacson added.
Cayetano also accused the majority bloc of deliberately creating an impression of disorder in the Senate.
“Sila nagpapasok sa NBI. Sila nagsabi sa NBI, full battle gear kayo doon. Sila hindi naglagay ng miyembro. Sila ang hindi nagpausad sa bills natin,” he claimed.
He further alleged that members of the minority bloc were pressured to transfer allegiance or risk being jailed.
“Sila ang meeting nang meeting sa Malacañang. Pero pinapalabas nila tayo unproductive, tayo magulo. Yun ang strategy nila,” Cayetano said.
The majority bloc has yet to issue a collective response to Cayetano’s allegations.
