Binay mulls ethics complaint vs Cayetano after name calling, accusation vs media

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Nancy Binay said she is considering the filing of an ethics complaint against Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano after he called the female senator "buang" (crazy) and "Marites" during their tense exchange in Wednesday's committee hearing into the new Senate building.

Besides lamenting the breakdown in decorum at the Senate accounts committee hearing, which Cayetano chairs, Binay also took exception with his accusation that she had fed questions to radio anchors to connect the issue to the Makati-Taguig political rivalry.

Cayetano replaced Binay as accounts committee chairperson in May after the Senate leadership shakeup when then-Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri relinquished his post to Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero. 

Wednesday's hearing was conducted after Escudero ordered a review of the cost of the new Senate building, which he learned from Cayetano has already reached P23 billion.

"The never-ending name calling that happened yesterday, for a senior senator to be saying those words... it's a reflection of a person that is not a statesman," Binay said in an interview with ANC on Thursday.

Binay said she is currently waiting for the official transcript from Wednesday's Senate accounts committee hearing to determine if there is enough basis to file an ethics complaint. 

The tense exchange centered on Binay and Cayetano's disagreement over whether the true cost of the Senate building was P21 billion or P23 billion, including the the cost of land acquisition (P1.6 billion).

Binay walked out after receiving a confirmation from the Department of Public Works and Highways that the P23 billion never appeared in their records. Cayetano then called Binay "buang ka day" as she was leaving.

Cayetano also earlier called Binay "Marites," a derisive term for someone who engages in gossip and rumor-mongering.

Binay said during the interview with ANC's Dateline that she left the meeting because she had already made her point and "tensions were already high."  

"This is the first time that I have attended a hearing where the chairperson acted that way to a fellow senator," Binay said, adding that there is a need to protect the Senate as an institution and that Cayetano's name-calling will be part of official records.

'Media can be paid'

Binay added that another grounds for the ethics complaint is Cayetano's allegation that "the media can be paid" based on his statement that Binay set radio anchors up to ask her planned questions.

"It's never been done by my office. At the end of the day, I believe in the integrity of the media that they will also not be a party to something like that where a politician or guest can feed questions," the senator said.

This is not the first time that Cayetano has accused the media of being paid to blow an issue out of proportion. 

In 2019, then-Speaker Cayetano alleged that members of the media had been bribed to spread disinformation about the Philippines' hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games. He later retracted this claim and said only anonymous websites spread false content to "sabotage" the games, according to a GMA news report.