MANILA – Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson accused former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano of using “squid tactics” to divert attention from corruption allegations against him, saying he would continue gathering evidence that could be presented before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee or the Office of the Ombudsman.

In an interview over True FM, Lacson said Cayetano had repeatedly shifted the focus away from the issues confronting him by attacking other personalities and introducing unrelated matters.

“That’s how he is. When he faces an issue, he will drop names of those close to the administration, or resort to name-calling, to muddle the issue. That’s called squid tactics – try to muddle the issue and hope he can get away. That’s his technique and pattern up to now,” Lacson said.

He said the same pattern was evident during previous controversies involving Cayetano, including the alleged anomalies in the preparations for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, which Cayetano chaired.

Lacson also alleged that Cayetano recently linked corruption accusations against him to the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte after the senator disclosed that he was looking into the former Senate president’s alleged P6.79 billion in budget insertions under the 2025 General Appropriations Act, as well as alleged 25 percent kickbacks in slope protection and other infrastructure projects.

According to Lacson, 68 of the 70 projects covered by the alleged P6.79 billion budget insertions had already been implemented, while two projects worth P75 million remained unreleased or unobligated.

“Again, squid tactics. This is not an issue of impeachment. This is an issue of corruption,” Lacson said.

“He asked for it, I’ll give it to him,” he added, when asked about his focus on alleged anomalous flood control projects in Taguig City.

Lacson also dismissed Cayetano’s claim that he and Sen. Erwin Tulfo were acting on instructions from Malacañang.

“He is pointing fingers and sowing intrigues so we will fight each other. I don’t want to dignify his nonsense because we will deviate from the issue,” he said.

“As for the flood control projects, I have talked to Blue Ribbon Chairman Erwin Tulfo. I will furnish him the documents and lists of possible resource persons who can be invited to hearings,” he added.

The senator recalled that Cayetano similarly responded when Lacson questioned the transfer of at least P1 billion in government funds to a private foundation chaired by Cayetano for the hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

Lacson noted that Cayetano reacted after National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag announced an investigation into the matter, despite not identifying any individual at the time.

“When Matibag mentioned the investigation yet did not name names, he reacted. What does that make of him?” he said.

Lacson said he would continue pursuing the matter, citing initial findings that allegedly involved projects awarded to firms owned by the Discaya family during Cayetano’s term as House Speaker in 2019.

He alleged that some projects were defective, had overlapping scopes that could allow kickbacks, while others were allegedly “ghost projects” that later underwent attempts at repair.

“We will look into those to show there are ghost projects in Taguig,” he said.

Lacson also said Cayetano’s brother, Lino Cayetano, had volunteered to become one of the witnesses after contacting him through an intermediary.

“I will pursue this to its logical conclusion. I will not ‘invent’ or ‘fabricate’ evidence but because of his attack on my integrity, I will exert extra effort to find those pieces of evidence, documentary or testimonial,” Lacson said.

“I will not accept that he would attack my integrity, which I have nurtured throughout my career for more than 50 years,” he added.