By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA, Philippines — Two senators remain absent from the Senate as the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte moves forward, with Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano again failing to appear Monday and Sen. Loren Legarda extending her medical leave.
Cayetano was absent not only from the impeachment proceedings but also from the Senate plenary session, with the Senate Secretariat receiving no explanation from his office.
Senate Secretary Renato Bantug confirmed that Cayetano’s office had not communicated with the chamber regarding his latest absence.
As of Monday afternoon, there was still no public explanation from the senator’s office.
Cayetano has been missing from both the impeachment trial and regular plenary sessions since Aug. 11. Senate sessions are normally conducted from Monday through Wednesday.
His continued absence follows earlier statements from his sister, Sen. Pia Cayetano, and Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri that the minority leader had been absent the previous week because he was “not feeling well.”
Legarda, meanwhile, will remain away from the Senate after submitting another request for medical leave.
Bantug said Legarda’s office informed the Senate that the senator would be on medical leave from Aug. 17 to 19.
Legarda has not attended the impeachment trial or Senate sessions since Aug. 3.
She left the Philippines on Aug. 2 through Hong Kong, with France as her final destination. Her son, Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, also departed the country through Hong Kong on the same day.
Legarda initially sought medical leave for Aug. 3 to 5 and later filed another leave covering Aug. 11 and 12. Her latest filing extends her absence through Aug. 19.
Her continued absence comes as she, Leviste and former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi face a preliminary investigation before the Office of the Ombudsman over allegations of graft and plunder involving alleged ghost solar projects valued at more than P10 billion.
Ombudsman investigators have alleged that Legarda, Leviste and Cusi “conspired to secure exclusive government rights over the country’s solar energy resources through legislative and regulatory actions,” while several projects allegedly remained undeveloped.
Legarda has rejected the allegations outright, calling them “utterly false and baseless.”
She has also urged the public not to draw conclusions connecting her overseas travel to the accusations under investigation.
Her office has yet to release a new statement explaining the latest extension of her medical leave.
For now, Cayetano remains absent without a reported explanation from his office, while Legarda stays on medical leave—leaving both senators away from the Senate floor as the impeachment proceedings against Duterte continue.
ia/xf
