Senator Alan Peter Cayetano capped the 19th Congress with a legislative track record that reflects his priorities on digital governance, disaster preparedness, and education reform, setting the stage for the next half of his Senate term.
Cayetano, who returned to the Senate in 2022, filed a total of 45 bills during the 19th Congress, 28 of which he principally authored. He also sponsored a total of 20 bills on the Senate floor.
Three of these have already been enacted into law, including Republic Act No. 12180 or the PHIVOLCS Modernization Act, which seeks to enhance the agency’s capacity to detect seismic activity by upgrading equipment, increasing the number of seismic stations, and improving the salaries and training of personnel.
“This modernization bill is about how we can mitigate disasters, risks, how we can prepare, and how we can also take care of our nature better,” Cayetano, who chairs the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, said.
Landmark bills on science and digital governance
– Five more proposed measures Cayetano either authored or sponsored were ratified by Congress before the last session day on June 11 and are now up for the President’s signature:
– The Konektadong Pinoy Act, which seeks to open the telecommunications market to more service providers, foster competition, and give consumers better and more affordable internet options;
– The E-Governance Act, which aims to digitalize and streamline government services and transactions;
– The Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act, which establishes a regulatory framework for atomic energy;
– The revised charter of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP); and
– The Career Progression System for Public School Teachers and School Leaders Act.
Education reforms
As Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education, Cayetano pushed forward a slate of education bills, including those upgrading state universities and colleges (SUCs) as well as expanding TESDA centers in underserved areas.
Two of these bills have been enacted into law, while 11 more have been approved by both the House and the Senate on third and final reading.
“Kung hindi ka pinanganak sa mayamang pamilya or you’re not born at the right place at the right time, in the richest cities, will you have the same opportunity of finishing college? This is one thing that we want with these bills,” he said in one of his sponsorship speeches.
Bridge collapse probe reveals cracks in accountability
Cayetano also filed 20 resolutions, ranging from commendations for nation-builders to calls for Senate action on pressing issues.
Among them was Senate Resolution No. 1322, which triggered the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation into the collapse of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela.
As sub-committee chair, Cayetano led a series of hearings that uncovered major structural defects and raised broader questions about infrastructure quality and accountability.
“There are glaring loopholes or lapses. For a bridge worth P700-800 million, which increased to more than P1 billion, then bumagsak, kailangan talaga itong tutukan,” he said during the last day of session.
“Whoever heads the Blue Ribbon Committee in the next Congress, I hope na susundan ‘to,” he urged.
Spiritual guidance for the present and next Congress
Cayetano also took the floor during key moments to offer prayers, opening both the first and last regular sessions of the 19th Congress with calls for wisdom and unity.
“Sa pagkakaisa, lahat ay dapat mag-ambag sa [paghanap ng solusyon] sa problema ng sobrang kahirapan, na malabanan ang mataas na presyo, kakulangan ng trabaho, at mababang kita,” he said in his 2022 prayer at the start of the Congress.
“In this last day of session of the 19th Congress,… we pray for the next Congress. Help us to know what is important and what is urgent,” he prayed on June 11, 2025.
Cayetano, whose term runs until 2028, is expected to continue focusing on education, good governance, values, and economic empowerment in the 20th Congress.
