Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has a flair for timing. In the middle of the worst corruption scandal to hit Congress in decades, he has called for snap elections. It sounds righteous, even heroic. The call for a system reset in the name of accountability. But politics is never about words alone. It is about motives. And with Cayetano, motives are layered, strategic, and rarely innocent.
Cayetano is a veteran of every political role one can imagine: Duterte’s running mate in 2016, Foreign Affairs Secretary, House Speaker, now senator. Few politicians are as adept at reinvention. With President Marcos Jr. weakened by scandal, and the Dutertes sniffing opportunity to strike back, Cayetano sees an opening.
By calling for snap elections, he accomplishes three things:
- He distances himself from Marcos allies tainted by insertions and kickbacks.
- He projects himself as the lone reformist, willing to risk controversy for “principle.”
- He signals to the Dutertes that he can be useful again — as a wedge against Marcos, as a possible ally in a realignment for 2028.
It is the move of a seasoned player. Not a crusader.
The Tainted Messenger
But here’s the problem: Cayetano is no innocent reformer. He presided over the House during the years when “pork” was quietly resurrected under new names. His name has been linked to questionable allocations, insider maneuverings, and even the messy finances of the 2019 SEA Games.
This is why his sudden moral thunderclap rings hollow. He thrived in the very swamp he now condemns. He did not abolish insertions when he had the power; he presided over them. He did not dismantle patronage; he maneuvered through it.
And as if to prove that his gambit is not purely altruistic, his own brother, former Taguig mayor Lino Cayetano, publicly called him out. Rarely does political critique come from within one’s own family. For a Cayetano to call out a Cayetano reveals just how much Alan Peter’s motives are seen as opportunistic even in his own bloodline.
The Question of Necessity
But let us step back. Even if Cayetano’s motives were pure, is a snap election necessary?
No. Elections do not kill corruption in the Philippines. They often reinforce it. The same dynasties reappear under new slogans, the same contractors bankroll campaigns, the same family networks win seats. Without structural reforms, a snap election is not accountability. It is distraction.
The deeper necessity is not resetting the political calendar but resetting the system:
- Transparency in budgeting to eliminate “insertions” as slush funds.
- Empowered oversight by COA, Ombudsman, and judiciary to track and prosecute.
- Prosecution of guilty lawmakers and contractors, no matter how powerful.
- Campaign finance reform, so infrastructure budgets stop doubling as electoral war chests.
Without these, elections i.e. snap or scheduled will simply re-cycle corruption.
Cayetano’s call, then, is not really about reform. It is about performance. He casts himself as the lone voice of conscience, conveniently forgetting his own history, conveniently ignoring the dynasty politics he himself represents.
It is the oldest trick in the Filipino playbook: denounce corruption when it benefits you, condemn the system you once used, and pretend moral outrage when the tide turns against your rivals.
Snap elections may sound bold. But boldness is not the same as sincerity. And opportunism is not reform.
Final Word
The flood-control scandal has hollowed out Congress, disgraced the House, and stained the Senate.
Filipinos want accountability, not theatrics. But Cayetano offers theatrics: a grand gesture that makes him look brave while solving nothing.
Snap elections will not clean this system. They will only reshuffle the deck, while dynasties like his continue to deal the cards.
The call may win him headlines. It may even win him points with the Dutertes. But it should not win him the benefit of the doubt.
Because what the Philippines needs is not snap elections, but snap accountability. And if Cayetano cannot deliver that, then his latest gambit is nothing more than what his brother suggested it was: another performance in the endless theater of power.