Senator-elect Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday said that whether or not he will be part of any Committee in the Senate, he will yield his time to push for and prioritize passing laws that are intended to support the livelihoods of Filipinos.
“I’m not fixated on any position. Anumang Committee, mayroon man o wala; administration or opposition; Majority, Minority; magagawa ko naman ang aking trabaho,” Cayetano said in a media interview on June 9, 2022.
He reiterated his prioritization of the 10K Ayuda Bill, which will give direct financial aid as families and businesses continue to suffer from the effects of the pandemic.
He said he will also relaunch his privately funded Sampung Libong Pag-asa program to strengthen his call for the bill’s passage.
“So ako, I’m focused in relaunching y’ung Sampung Libong Pag-asa, y’ung aming private[ly] funded na P10,000. And then focused din ako sa pagda-draft ng mga bills,” he said.
The Senator-elect said, however, that he will be “open-minded” to joining a Committee especially if it will enable him to forward the measures that are aligned with his advocacy.
“Kahit na not a single committee naman, open ako. Pero kung mayroon nga yung magandang committee position na kung saan magiging mas effective ay hindi ko iyon tatalikuran,” he added.
Cayetano, who ran on a faith-based and values-oriented leadership platform, had consistently reiterated his three major agenda in the Senate.
“Unang-una, y’ung values. Pangalawa, y’ung huwag ang e-sabong at tsaka Internet gaming. Pangatlo, y’ung sa micro and medium enterprise, kasama y’ung loan system at tsaka y’ung 10K ayuda,” he said.
Cayetano also reiterated that if most of the members of the Senate decide to have a “principled independent Senate”, then he could be part of the Majority.
“We need a Majority na nare-recognize nila ‘pag may mali. But we need a Minority na hindi na lang lahat ng gawin ng Pangulo ay mali at walang tama. So that’s why nga, marami pa kaming pag-uusapan,” he said.
