IN WHAT looks more like another perfectly-hatched vanishing act, two sitting senators facing legal predicaments have reportedly flown to Singapore on Wednesday night.
According to the Bureau of Immigrations, Senators Alan Peter and elder sister Pia arrived at Changi airport a few hours after leaving the country.
Under existing laws, the Cayetano siblings who informed Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian of their “personal travel,” were allowed to board the airplane since the court has yet to issue a hold-departure order.
Alan Peter was last spotted entering Gate 109 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 and was reportedly booked on Singapore Airlines flight SQ921. Pia was separately seen at the terminal’s check-in counters.
Both are facing investigations into the alleged ghost flood control projects in Taguig City, a known bailiwick of the Cayetanos.
ESCAPE PATTERN
Prior to the departure of the Cayetano siblings, Senator Loren Legarda flew to France for “medical check-up,” while his son, Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste left on the same day boarding a different flight.
Both Legarda and Leviste are facing an investigation over plunder and graft complaints regarding unfulfilled government solar energy contracts and alleged monopoly of renewable energy franchises. Recently, news came out on Legarda and Leviste having sold properties at the Shangri-la in Mandaluyong City and the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.
Another senator – Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who is facing an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, has yet to leave the country. A manhunt operation has since been launched by government law enforcement agencies on the request of the International Police Organization (Interpol).
ALAN PETER’S WOES
In the case of the Cayetano siblings, many are inclined to believe that Alan Pater and Pia left the country to evade an imminent arrest. It remains uncertain whether Singapore is their destination — or just a jumping point off to another country.
Alan Peter has yet to explain how fugitive dela Rosa, who was under his protective custody, was able to escape the senate premises on May 14. His name has also been dragged by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) into the financial discrepancies and alleged double payments tied to the 2019 SEA Games cauldron.
For the last several weeks, Senator Panfilo Lacson asked the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate Alan Peter’s involvement in the alleged ghost flood control projects (reportedly inserted into the budget by Cayetano himself) and illegal reclamation in Taguig City.
ATE PIA’S CONCERNS
Similarly in trouble is Pia, in her capacity as senator-judge of the Senate impeachment court. She is facing an ethics complaint over a video posted on her official social media account that complainants described as “spliced and misleading.”
The video featured House impeachment prosecutor and Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
The complainants claimed that the edited clip removed portions of Diokno’s remarks and created the impression that House prosecutors were seeking Duterte’s financial records despite having no evidence.