Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday challenged the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to “go ahead” with its investigation into alleged anomalies in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) hosted by the Philippines under his chairmanship.

Cayetano made the statement on the heels of NBI director Melvin Matibag’s announcement that the bureau has revived the probe after receiving a tip that billions in public funds earmarked for the SEA Games Sports Complex had yet to be properly liquidated.

Cayetano chaired the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee which oversaw the country’s hosting of the 30th SEAG in 2019 during the Duterte administration.

“Investigate whatever you want to investigate. You want to investigate why I grew a beard? Go ahead, no problem with me, but don’t announce it anymore, because it affects the integrity of the court,” Cayetano said on the sixth day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial at the Senate.

He described the revival of the probe as a “misfire,” maintaining that there were no anomalies in the project’s implementation and that it was carried out successfully.

He said the NBI probe was politically motivated and intended to further reduce the ranks of the Senate minority bloc whose members are known to support the Vice President.

Senator Pia Cayetano quickly jumped to her brother’s defense, contending that the NBI’s investigation was designed to “distract” him from the trial and effectively weaken the position of the minority bloc.

“There is no jurisdiction in the world that allows a judge to be pressured and intimidated,” she stressed.

“Those statements, those actions are not acceptable, possibly contemptible,” she added.

In the same vein, Senator Robin Padilla, also allied with the minority, pointed out that the timing of the NBI’s announcement suggested a deliberate attempt to undermine the trial proceedings by diminishing the participation of the senator-judges.

Padilla said the Senate impeachment court should be “independent” and resist any external pressure and intimidation.

The number of senator-judges is down to 21 from 24 following the arrest of Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta, both on plunder charges, while Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is in hiding to evade an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. They are allied with the Cayetano-led bloc.

Cayetano and Matibag have been at odds since the alleged botched attempt by the NBI to arrest Dela Rosa in the Senate premises on 11 May on the ICC warrant.

Matibag is expected to take the witness stand on Monday to testify regarding the NBI’s investigation into Duterte’s supposed grave threat against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during an online press briefing in November 2024.

Cayetano alleged that Matibag’s pronouncement was a form of intimidation intended to discourage him from questioning Matibag about the developments of the NBI’s investigation into Duterte’s alleged kill plot against the President and his family.

On the one hand, he contended that Matibag’s allegations that there were congressional insertions for the SEAG project to the tune of approximately P10 billion were misplaced because he was not a member of Congress at the time.

“It’s definitely not me because how could a non-member of the Senate or non-member of the House insert anything?” he said.

The 2019 Southeast Asian Games drew backlash over allegations that its cauldron, which cost P50 million, was overpriced. Cayetano denied profiting from the project.