A lawmaker from Negros Occidental urged leaders local government units (LGU) in his constituency to declare Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano a “persona non grata” in their localities.
Rep. Julio “Jules” Ledesma IV (Negros Occidental, First District) on Wednesday, June 3, called the Senate leader a “disgrace” following the recent incidents at the upper chamber.
These included the ouster of Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto as Senate President and the failure to attend Senate sessions for three consecutive days, which he said resulted in lost time that could have been spent on legislative work, such as tackling key bills and granting citizenship to athletes.
“Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano — you are a disgrace to the Senate and as a former member of the House — you’ve done this twice,” Ledesma wrote on Facebook, referencing Cayetano’s stint as House Speaker from 2019 to 2020.
Cayetano had a term-sharing deal with then-Rep. Lord Allan Velasco. Prior to handing over the role, he had the House’s electricity and Wi-Fi cut off to prevent lawmakers from voting for Velasco as House Speaker.
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“For trivializing your duty as a legislator — I will urge the LGUs of the first district of Negros Occidental to declare you persona non grata. This is my ask of our district and I will get this,” Ledesma wrote.
“Persona non grata” is defined as “a person who is unacceptable or unwelcome.”
Lawyer DJ Jimenez said it is more of a “political statement.”
It has no legal effect and does not mean a person will be arrested upon entering the area, unless they commit a criminal offense.
