MANILA — Senator Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson criticized Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday, saying the Senate is being undermined by its own leadership amid continued absence from regular plenary sessions and reliance on Facebook livestreams for communications.

Lacson, in a post on X and in an interview on DZMM radio, said Cayetano’s approach to leading the chamber has caused dysfunction, including allegedly issuing notices suspending sessions and giving instructions verbally without formal documentation.

“WHAT A MESS! Where else can we find a Senate President who boycotts the regular sessions of a chamber which he is supposed to preside, then delivers speeches on Facebook instead of the Senate floor before his peers so we can interpellate him?” Lacson said in a post on X.

He further said, “The Senate is under attack but by its own leadership. Cayetano had claimed last May that the Senate was under attack. The Senate is indeed under attack but the one doing the attacking is the present leadership and that is sad,” he said in English and Filipino in an interview on DZMM radio.

Lacson also alleged that Cayetano had been suspending sessions and communicating only through staff and verbal instructions, avoiding written notices.

“He would just notify senators’ staff that the session is suspended when it’s not. We never received any notice to the effect, in accordance with our procedures. Cayetano did not do that because he does not want a paper trail of his violations,” he said.

He said such actions could constitute dereliction of duty and may be subject to a complaint before the Senate ethics committee.

“Plain and simple, his actions amount to dereliction of duty because we have a duty to perform but he is not doing it. The disciplinary mechanism for this is the ethics committee. Any citizen of this country may file a complaint so long as the complaint has sufficient basis,” he said.

Lacson, along with members of the Senate minority bloc, earlier called for Cayetano’s resignation following the continued absence of majority bloc senators from plenary sessions.

He also appealed for senators to attend Wednesday’s session, which he described as the last session day before the Senate adjourns sine die, citing the need to tackle pending measures.

Even if Cayetano and other presiding officers were absent, Lacson said senators present could still proceed if a quorum is reached.

“Even if Cayetano and other presiding officers – the Senate President Pro Tempore, majority leader and deputy majority leaders – boycott the session again but there is a quorum, he said those present on the floor can designate a presiding officer so they can “open the session, convene and conduct business, which is the right thing to do.”

Lacson also rejected Cayetano’s claim that the minority bloc intended to take over key Senate committees, calling it unfounded.

“He’s ruining the Senate. It’s become a shame to the Filipino people,” he said.

“You’re the Senate President, you should set the right and good example. But you’re setting a bad example,” he added.