Alan Cayetano says sis Pia ‘not neutral’ on Poe’s SET case 

SENATOR Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday made a critique of his sister’s vote on the disqualification case filed before the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) against presidential aspirant Senator Grace Poe.

In an interview, Alan Peter said he disagrees with the vote of his sister, Pia, adding that she voted as a child rights advocate.

“I believe that she is sincere in her decision but I believe that she is sincerely wrong,” he said.

“I think she voted more an advocate rather than as a cold, neutral judge,” he added.

Pia joined four other members of the SET – Senators Bam Aquino, Vicente Sotto III, Cynthia Villar, Loren Legarda – in voting for the dismissal of the petition disqualifying Poe from office.

Alan Peter also denied rumors that his sister voted for the petition because she has an adopted son, Lucas.

He said that the situation of Lucas, whom the Senator Pia found in a children’s home in 2011, is different from that of Poe’s case.

“We never considered him (Lucas) as adopted. For us, there is no difference if he is natural-born or not. But Lucas is natural-born. We know that one of his parents is a Filipino. So he never entered the picture but people are speculating like that,” Cayetano said.

“You should not be an advocate in the SET, you should be a judge,” he said.

Those who voted in favor of the petition disqualifying Poe were the three Supreme Court associate justices: Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, Associate Justices Arturo Brion and Teresita Leonardo-de Castro and Senator Nancy Binay.

Pia Cayetano, on her part, stood by her vote, saying that it was based on her appreciation of the case.

She also said that her vote on Poe’s case is not reflective of whom she supports as president and vice president in next year’s elections.

The vice presidential aspirant, meanwhile, was quick to address that there is no bad blood between him and his sister.

“We always took pride to the fact na may prinsipyo kami at hindi kami mag-iimpluwensiyahan. Kung ano pananaw niya at ano ang pananaw ko, respetuhan na lang,” he said.