Charles Teves
Many predicted that it was only a matter of time before Alan Peter Cayetano would be replaced as House speaker.
Given the close relationship of new Speaker Lord Allan Velsaco with the first family, Cayetano wasn’t expected to remain seated at the top for very long after the issue of leadership between the two got more complicated.
Cayetano officially resigned on Tuesday, October 13, 2020.
He went live on his official Facebook page and announced his “irrevocable resignation.”
“I am tendering my irrevocable resignation as the Speaker of the House of the Republic of the Philippines,” he said.
People then pointed out that he stepped down from the position only minutes after Velasco was proclaimed the new Speaker at the House of Representatives’ plenary hall.
Netizens agree that Cayetano resigned to prevent humiliation. He was already ousted less than 10 minutes before his resignation.
Di ba nasipa sya? https://t.co/HY8mNaJsRi
— Flow Galindez Ⓕ (@FlowGalindez) October 13, 2020
https://twitter.com/supernegatrona/status/1315865199547564032?s=20
People celebrated the coup because they think Cayetano deserved it after all his questionable decisions.
https://twitter.com/krizzy_kalerqui/status/1315873302645141504?s=20
Dear Alan Peter Cayetano, https://t.co/kDULNi8Xyf
— Jai Cabajar (@jaicabajar) October 13, 2020
One of his most criticized decisions was the P50 million spent on the cauldron that was used during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Cayetano called it a “work of art” in spite of its price. He currently serves as the chairman of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC). He didn’t think the cauldron was overpriced nor expensive since it was cheaper compared to the previous one created by Singapore which cost P63 million.
The cauldron was 3-meters in width and held the SEA games flame throughout the event. ₱4.4 million was spent on the design, ₱13.4 million on the foundation, and ₱32 million for the construction.
“The cauldron is not one of the symbols — it’s the symbol of the games, whether it’s Olympic Games or SEA Games,” Cayetano told the Senate.
“It’s a work of art. While some people see it as a cauldron, we see a monument. We see the athletes, we see the burning flames that represent hope and the fighting spirit. We think it is just appropriate,” he added.
The Philippine Sports Commission revealed recently that it still owes ₱387-million to SEA games suppliers.
PSC Executive Director Guillermo Iroy said that the Department of Budget and Management should provide them that amount due to the “too many” demand letters from the suppliers.
He explained that the PHISGOC incurred such debt because only ₱6.8-billion was given, which was “way below” the estimated ₱7.5-billion cost of the hosting.
“The estimated budget of the organizing committee was really ₱7.5-billion for the hosting. But it was reduced to ₱5-billion and luckily the Office of the President released another ₱1-billion that’s ₱6.5-billion,” Iroy told a Senate committee.
https://twitter.com/krizzy_kalerqui/status/1315664052165599237?s=20
Julius Babao poked fun at the news.
Yan na. Tapos na ang boksing. https://t.co/chvYqTBQ23
— julius babao (@juLiusbabao) October 13, 2020
Many also want the Cayetanos to step away from politics as they’ve lost a lot of credibility in recent years.
THE DUALITY OF ALAN PETER CAYETANO, PLEASE GET YOUR THINGS AND FAMILY MEMBERS AND FUCKING LEAVE YOU MANIPULATORS!!!!!
— LET THE EARTH BREATHE (@laveriexoxo) October 13, 2020
Cayetano licked Duterte’s boots and allowed himself to be used, netizens point out.
https://twitter.com/zaldytor/status/1315868811216609280?s=20
https://twitter.com/SaraleoBitch/status/1315907955632472064?s=20
More celebrated his resignation.
#OUSTED hoy kapal ng mukha mo Alan Peter Cayetano!
— they call me fern ✨ (@theycallmefern) October 13, 2020
salbahe ba ako kasi natutuwa ako sa nangyayari kay Alan Peter Cayetano
— MiLouna (@jubert617) October 13, 2020
Imagine being alan Peter Cayetano mga par Hahaha. Nung tumakbo kang Vice President, itinakwil ka ng presidente mo lmao tas tinanggal ka sa DFA para kay teddy boy locsin serial tweet delete lmao tas ngayon pinalit ka sa dude na lord Alan yung pangalan Hahahaha simp https://t.co/koveWFSpc0
— forest (@lasang_) October 13, 2020
Cayetano is also considered one of the main culprits in ABS-CBN’s unfortunate shutdown last July. His fellow lawmakers blamed him for delaying the House hearings on the ABS-CBN franchise. He insisted that ABS-CBN would be able to operate beyond May 4 if the NTC grants the network provisional authority. He was mistaken.
Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman spoke out against Cayetano.
“I would like to apologize for the failure of Congress to do its job. Kasalanan namin ito eh. Kasalanan ng Kongreso ito. But more important, I’d like to say, squarely, kasalanan ni Speaker Cayetano ito. Pagkukulang niya ito sa bayan,” he said.
“He (Cayetano) will have a lot to explain one day. It may not be today, but later on, this issue will hound him because he was the one who did not do his job. Even the President kept on reminding him to do your job, magtrabaho kayo, aksyunan ‘nyo ‘yan. What did we do? Nothing,” he added.
He didn’t see ABS-CBN’s shutdown as an attack on the free press, instead it was just “an end to the privilege of one family in using a public resource to protect and promote their private interests.”
“For those who continue to push the freedom of the press card, Congress is not stifling the right of any journalist, host, commentator, talent, or employee of ABS-CBN — or any Filipino for that matter — from criticizing the government,” he said in a Facebook post following ABS-CBN’s failure to secure a 25-year broadcast franchise.
In his resignation video, Cayetano also apologized to Pres. Rodrigo Duterte.
“Ang pagkaalam ko talaga, I was to handle the budget and I was told, until matapos ‘yung budget, para walang disruption, and I invited Representative Velasco to join me.” he said.
“So Mr President, if I made a mistake, mali ang reading ko, misunderstood ko na gusto mong ituloy at tapusin ko ang budget, ako’y humihingi ng paumanhin. Hindi ko intention, never, na hindi ka sundin,” he added.
He further explained the 15-21 agreement between him and Velasco.
“Hindi po 15-21. Ang sinabi ko, after 15 months, I will go to the President and kung ano ang order niya, iyon ang susundin ko,” he said.
“The budget should have been finished by October, and we all knew that the handover would be in November. So when Congressman Velasco’s group caused a stir in September, the budget process was disrupted. I tried to save it by passing it quickly on 2nd reading,” he added.
He concluded his video by telling people to go back to calling him “Kuya Alan.”
“Please start calling me ‘Alan’ again. If you call me ‘Secretary-, Senador Alan,’ naiiba-iba pa, nalilito pa kayo. ‘Alan’ o ‘Kuya Alan.’ And I’ll always be here with you.”
