Alan Peter Cayetano

Alan Peter Schramm Cayetano (Tagalog pronunciation: kajɛˈtano; born October 28, 1970) is a Filipino lawyer, diplomat, and politician who has served as the Minority Floor Leader of the Senate of the Philippines since September 9, 2025, a post he previously held from 2010 to 2013. He has been a Senator of the Philippines since 2022, following a previous stint from 2007 to 2017. He served as the 26th Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 2019 to 2020 and as the 26th Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2018. Born and raised into a political family based in Taguig, Cayetano is the son of former Senator Rene Cayetano. He entered national politics in 1998 after being elected as the Representative of Taguig–Pateros, a post he held until 2007, when he was first elected to the Senate. He unsuccessfully ran for Vice President in the 2016 elections as the running mate of Rodrigo Duterte, who would win the presidency. He resigned from the Senate in 2017 to serve as Foreign Affairs Secretary, a role he held until 2018. In 2019, Cayetano was elected back to the House of Representatives. During this stint, he was elected as the Speaker of the House. As Speaker, he became the Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 2019 SEA Games and was appointed Chairman of the Defeat COVID-19 Ad Hoc Committee during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, Cayetano was elected back to the Senate for a third nonconsecutive term.

Cayetano was born in Mandaluyong to lawyer Renato "Compañero" Cayetano and German-American former school teacher Sandra Schramm.^[3] He was raised in Parañaque and moved to Taguig in 1991.^[4] Although he inherited United States citizenship by descent, he relinquished his U.S. citizenship in 1998.^[5]

Cayetano resides with his family in Bagumbayan, Taguig. His wife, Lani, is the incumbent mayor of Taguig and formerly represented the first and second districts of Taguig–Pateros at the House of Representatives of the Philippines. His older sister, Pia, is an incumbent Senator and formerly represented the second district of Taguig at the House of Representatives of the Philippines, where she was also a Deputy Speaker. His youngest brother, Lino, is a film and television director as well as a former congressman and mayor of Taguig, while his other brother Ren is a former councilor of Muntinlupa.

Cayetano completed both his elementary and secondary education at De La Salle Santiago Zobel School. In the 1980s, Cayetano admitted to having nearly been expelled from high school due to him regularly joining his father Rene at the Batasang Pambansa instead of attending class.^[6]

In college, he studied political science at the University of the Philippines Diliman and graduated in 1993. He was on the UP Diliman University Student Council.^[7]

He then finished his Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in 1997, graduating 2nd Honors (silver medalist). Thereafter, he was admitted to the Philippine bar in 1998.^[8]

Most of the laws authored by Cayetano focus on education, persons with disabilities rights, political reforms, health, and environment. Some of the laws that he authored and co-authored during his first two terms as a Philippine Senator (2007–2017) were:

• Republic Act No. 10648 – Iskolar ng Bayan Act of 2014. This provided scholarship grants to top graduates of all public high schools in state-owned universities and colleges.^[9]
• Republic Act No. 9500 – University of the Philippines Charter Act of 2008.^[10]
• Republic Act No. 10676 – Student-Athletes Protection Act. This law prohibits the commercialization of student-athletes.^[11]
• Republic Act No. 7277 – Magna Carta for Disabled Persons. This law provides for the rehabilitation, self-development and self-reliance of disabled persons and their integration into the mainstream society.^[12]
• Republic Act No. 10928 – Amendment of the Philippine Passport Act. This extended the validity of the Philippine passport to ten (10) years.^[13]

Cayetano, then a junior year college student at University of the Philippines, was elected as councilor of the then-municipality of Taguig in 1992. Elected at the age of 21, he was one of the youngest councilors in the country,^[7] and served alongside actor Rene Requiestas and six other councilors. He became Taguig's Majority Floor Leader and held various positions, such as the vice-chairperson of the People's Law Enforcement Board.^[14]

From 1992 to 1993, Cayetano concurrently served as the chairman of the National Capital Region Chapter of the National Movement of Young Legislators.^[14]

Cayetano was elected vice mayor of Taguig in the 1995 local elections and served for one term.^[14]

Cayetano ran for the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 1998 as the representative of the lone district of Taguig–Pateros under the Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino.^[7] He was the youngest elected representative at the 11th Congress at age 27.^[14]

In his first term as a neophyte legislator, Cayetano immediately held major roles and functions, such as being voted as the assistant majority leader. He was also chairman of the Oversight Committee on Bases Conversion and Sub-Committee on New Schools (Committee on Education), and the vice-chairman of the Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms.^[7]

During his second term in the 12th Congress, Cayetano became deputy majority leader and the vice-chairman of the Committee on Rules.^[7]

On his last term in the 13th Congress, he served as the Senior Deputy Minority Leader and an ex officio member of all standing House committees. He also became a fierce critic of then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.^[7] In August 2006, he falsely accused First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo of not disclosing the "hundreds of millions of dollars" that he allegedly stashed in the Munich bank HypoVereinsbank, to which he was sued for libel by Arroyo and other family members before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.^{[15][16][17][18]}

By September 6, 2006, first gentleman Arroyo, his brother Rep. Ignacio Arroyo, and his sons Diosdado and Rep. Mikey Arroyo filed a complaint before the House Ethics Committee seeking Cayetano's expulsion from Congress for fabricating evidence and engaging in "improper conduct".^[19][20] By November 21, 2006, Cayetano issued his own complaint against Reps. Ignacio and Mikey Arroyo that sought their expulsion, accusing them of receiving monthly payola that amounts to "graft and corruption".^[21] Although the committee, as chaired by Bohol Rep. Roberto Cajes, found Arroyo's complaint to have "substantial and credible evidence" against Cayetano,^[22] the congressman's expulsion did not come to fruition.^[23]

Cayetano ran for senator in 2007 under the Genuine Opposition coalition and won, placing 9th out of the 12 seats. He was elected Senate Minority Leader for the 15th Congress in 2010. He was re-elected to the Senate in 2013, running under the Team PNoy administration coalition.

At the start of the 16th Congress in 2013, Cayetano was elected as the new Senate Majority Floor Leader and was likewise appointed to chair the Senate Committee on Rules. He had participated in hearings probing the corruption allegations thrown against then-Vice President Jejomar Binay.^[24][25][26]

In a press event held in Davao City, Senator Cayetano announced that he would seek election for vice president in the 2016 national elections under the Nacionalista Party, but did not mention who would be his presidential running mate.^[27][28] On November 21, 2015, it was made official that Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte would be his running mate for the 2016 presidential elections. Although Duterte won the presidency, Cayetano lost to then-congresswoman Leni Robredo, placing third in both unofficial and official vote counts conducted by COMELEC and the Congress, respectively.

On May 10, 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte announced that Cayetano was appointed as Secretary of Foreign Affairs, following the expiration of the one-year appointment ban on losing candidates of the 2016 elections.^[29] Cayetano replaced acting secretary Enrique Manalo, who assumed the post in March 2017 when the Commission on Appointments's (CA) rejected President Duterte's ad interim appointment of Perfecto Yasay Jr. due to the latter's citizenship concerns.^[30]

His appointment to the post by President Duterte was approved by the CA's foreign affairs committee on May 17, 2017. Upon approval of the CA's plenary, he assumed the post as foreign secretary and effectively resigned from his post as senator.^[31] On May 18, Cayetano was sworn in by President Duterte at the Malacañang of the South in Davao City.^[32]

As Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Cayetano took an "objective-based" approach in resolving the territorial disputes of the Philippines, which he described as negotiation through the use of historical facts, such as the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to defend the Philippines' claims.^[33] He also vowed to avoid "microphone diplomacy", which he defined as the continual issuing of public statements instead of privately negotiating the issues with the parties.^[34]

In January 2018, Filipino Congressman Gary Alejano revealed that the Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano had approved the Chinese Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to perform a scientific survey of the Philippine Rise, while disapproving a French research offer in the Rise. Under the agreement, majority of researchers must be Chinese. On the same month, China told Filipino counterparts that the Philippines has no right in the Philippine Rise. Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte's trusted spokesperson Harry Roque embraced and defended China's statement, causing outrage from various Filipino sectors.^[35]

In March 2018, Cayetano reiterated that the West Philippine Sea is "disputed", despite a 2016 decision by an international court backed by the United Nations declaring that the Philippines has the sole legal right on the resources of the West Philippine Sea, and which also deemed the Philippines as the internationally acknowledged country with jurisdiction on the area.

Cayetano cited the continued conflict over territories, specifically islands, which are not covered by the ruling under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Cayetano took the stance that acknowledging the dispute was resolved by the 2016 ruling is not equal to giving up Philippine claims on the territory.^[36]

On October 9, 2018, President Duterte announced that Cayetano had planned to run in the May 2019 elections for the post of representative of Taguig–Pateros. He eventually resigned as Foreign Secretary on October 17, the last day of filing of certificates of candidacies.^[37] He was succeeded by former Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations Teodoro Locsin Jr. as Foreign Secretary on the same day.

His and his wife Lani's (running for representative of Taguig's 2nd district) candidacies faced a disqualification case for not possessing the minimum residency qualification and claiming to live in separate residences as indicated on their respective COCs, which is not in accordance with Article 69 of the Family Code.^[38] The case was later dismissed on May 7, 2019.^[39] The couple later won the elections.

On the first day of the 18th Congress of the Philippines, Cayetano was elected House Speaker after gaining 266 votes against Manila's 6th District Representative Benny Abante, who garnered 28 votes. Cayetano became the 22nd Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines on July 22, 2019. He was nominated by Representatives Lord Allan Velasco, Martin Romualdez and presidential son Rep. Paolo Duterte. These three representatives also announced their intention to run for speaker, but President Rodrigo Duterte gave his endorsement to Cayetano.

Cayetano agreed to share his term with Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco, while the 1st District Representative of Leyte, Martin Romualdez, who was among the contenders for the office, agreed to become Majority Floor Leader. The term-sharing agreement was reportedly influenced by President Duterte.

Under the term-sharing agreement, Cayetano served for 15 months and was followed by Velasco in the remaining months of the 18th Congress of the Philippines.

On September 2, the House designated him as the legislative caretaker of Camarines Sur's 1st district after the elected representative, Marissa Andaya, died of cancer on July 5.^[40] On October 16, four days after he resigned as Speaker, the caretaker position was taken over by Michael John Duavit (Rizal–1st).^[41]

Cayetano chaired the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee, a private organization tasked to organize the 2019 SEA Games.^[42][43] The committee has a budget of ₱6 billion, is tasked to perform the function of a government office, and shares some of its members with the Philippine Sports Commission.^[42][44]

After the COVID-19 pandemic began, the SEA Games facilities were quickly converted into quarantine facilities a mere four months after the Games concluded.^[45]

In May 2020, a number of lawmakers blamed Cayetano for the shutdown of ABS-CBN broadcasting due to his inaction on numerous bills seeking to renew the station's franchise.^[46][47][48] Cayetano pointed to Solicitor General Jose Calida and the National Telecommunications Commission (under the leadership of Gamaliel Cordoba) for ABS-CBN's subsequent closure, stating "the NTC appears to have succumbed to pressure from the Solicitor General and issued a cease and desist order to ABS-CBN." He warned, "as for the sudden flip-flopping of the NTC and the unconstitutional meddling by the Solicitor General in the business of Congress, I promise you, there will be a reckoning."^[49] In July 2020, ABS-CBN's attempt to renew the franchise was rejected by the Philippine House Committee on Legislative Franchises of the 18th Congress, which voted 70–11 to deny the application citing political reasons and several issues on the network's franchise. The denial of the ABS-CBN's franchise resulted in a massive retrenchment of its workers, permanent closure of the operations of numerous businesses, and network transfers and resignations by numerous talents, anchors and reporters.^[50][51] Cayetano and his allies were praised by Solicitor General Calida who claimed victory in silencing ABS-CBN.^{[52][53][54][55][56][57]}

In September 2020, Cayetano slammed the European Parliament's resolution urging to grant ABS-CBN a broadcast license because of its "outright interference" in Philippine affairs, claiming that the European Parliament criticized the Philippine government without first asking questions or ascertaining facts.^[58]

In his interview for "Hard Talk" with Boy Abunda, Cayetano stated that "if it were up to me, ABS-CBN would have been granted a provisional authority valid until October 31, 2020 to give the body more time to deliberate." The provisional authority was based on HB 6732 which Congressman Cayetano filed on May 13, 2020. President Rodrigo Duterte also admitted to using his "presidential powers" to shut down ABS-CBN and deny the renewal of franchise.^[59][60]

Cayetano tendered his irrevocable resignation as House Speaker on October 13, 2020, paving the way for Marinduque representative Lord Allan Velasco to assume his position undisputed.

In January 2021, Cayetano formed a new bloc named "BTS sa Kongreso" — short for Balik sa Tamang Serbisyo sa Kongreso — along with fellow lawmakers Mike Defensor, LRay Villafuerte, Dan Fernandez, Raneo Abu, and Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado.

In late March 2021, Cayetano launched two early political paid advertisements of himself which aired on all major Philippine television networks. One is on the campaign to approve a bill to give ₱10,000 cash aid to every Filipino family, while the other one portrayed Cayetano as an "ideal public servant."^[61][62][63]

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic,^[64] Cayetano and his allies from the BTS bloc filed in February 2021 House Bill 8597 otherwise known as the "10K Ayuda Bill". The measure seeks to provide each Filipino family with a one-time ₱10,000 assistance or ₱1,500 per family member, whichever is higher, which they can use for their daily needs or to start their own businesses as they await the full roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines.

In an attempt to prove that the government has the capacity to provide a ₱10,000 cash assistance^[65] to every Filipino family, Cayetano launched the Sampung Libong Pag-asa (SLP)^[66] program on his Facebook page in May. Through pooled resources from the BTS members and other private donors, the SLP initiative was held almost daily,^[67] reaching out to beneficiaries from different sectors across the country. In its daily program via Facebook live, SLP highlights the stories of beneficiaries^[68] who said the amount they received helped them rise up from the hardships they encountered when the country was placed under community quarantine. Four months after launching the program, the SLP reached 10,000 beneficiaries nationwide on September 10, 2021.^[66] In October, the number of beneficiaries rose to 12,762.

However, the 10K Ayuda Bill failed to be included in the Bayanihan 3 COVID-19 aid package and is still a legislative proposal yet to be acted upon.^[69][70]

Cayetano introduced the Sari-Saring Pag-asa (SSP) program, which aims to provide struggling sari-sari store owners with a one-time ₱3,500 cash assistance to replenish their supplies amid the pandemic.^[71] An advocate of small to medium enterprise empowerment,^[71] Cayetano initiated the program to complement the Sampung Libong Pag-asa program which provides select Filipino families with ₱10,000 in cash aid to help them with their basic needs and put up their own small businesses amid the pandemic.

SSP takes off from the Taguig Pateros (TaPat) Sari-Store Program created by Taguig 2nd District Rep. Lani Cayetano^[72] to provide financial assistance and livelihood training for sari-sari store owners in Taguig and Pateros. The local initiative was later expanded into the Sari-Sari Store Community,^[73] a national program that sought to create a community of sharing and mutual aid among sari-sari store owners from different parts of the country. As of October 27, 2021, the SSP has extended aid to a total of 4,811 sari-sari store owners from different parts of the country.

On October 7, 2021, Cayetano filed his candidacy for senator as an independent candidate. Earlier, he had hinted that he would 'seriously consider' running for President, wherein his focus would be the passage of the "10K Ayuda Bill" he and his allies from the BTS (Balik sa Tamang Serbisyo) sa Kongreso bloc filed in the lower house. The 10K Ayuda Bill seeks to provide each Filipino household a one-time ₱10,000 cash assistance amid the pandemic.^[74] He also wanted to focus on a five-year economic recovery plan that can be adopted by the presidential candidates.^[75]

Cayetano won in the 2022 elections, placing seventh of the 12 winning candidates. Earning his third Senate term, he was the only winning senator not part of any coalitions. In the 19th Congress, he became part of the Senate independent bloc alongside his sister Pia.^[76] Cayetano chairs the Senate Committee on Government Corporations and Public Enterprises and the Senate Committee on Science and Technology.

Cayetano and his sister Pia are the titular hosts of public service program Cayetano in Action with Boy Abunda (CIA with BA), which premiered in February 2023 on GMA Network.^[77][78][79]

On September 9, 2025, following leadership changes that saw Tito Sotto replacing Francis Escudero as the Senate President, Cayetano joined the minority bloc and became its floor leader.^[80]

Cayetano as a response to the flood control projects controversy proposed the conduct of a snap election and urged President Marcos, Vice President Duterte, and both chambers of the Congress to resign with "no incumbent from the above can run for one election cycle".^[81]

On July 3, 2025, Cayetano filed ten priority bills outlining a legislative agenda focused on strengthening government systems, promoting Filipino values, and supporting families and future generations. Topping the list is the Filipino Values in Identity Act, which aims to institutionalize a national program on values formation through a dedicated Commission on Filipino Values and an Inter-Faith Council.

Cayetano now serves as the Senate Minority Leader of one of the largest minority blocs in the history of the chamber. He holds no committee chairmanship but is an ex-officio member of all committees. During the stint of Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero as Senate President, Cayetano held the following committee chairmanships until September 8, 2025:

• Committee on Justice
  • Senate Representative of the Judicial and Bar Council
• Committee on Accounts
• Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education
• Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies

Cayetano became part of the Senate independent bloc alongside his sister Pia. He chaired the following committees within 3 years:

• Committee on Government Corporations
• Committee on Science and Technology
• Committee on Accounts
• Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education
• Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship

Among the notable posts he held also include:

• Vice Chairman, Senate Blue Ribbon Committee
• Minority Leader, Commission on Appointments

Cayetano and his sister Senator Pia provide free legal assistance and public service through their television program Cayetano in Action with Boy Abunda. The show premiered in February 2023 on GMA Network. As of October 2025, it is currently in its 11th season with a total of 143 episodes.

On March 8, 2007, former Pateros Mayor Jose Capco filed electoral disqualification during the mid-term elections of 2007. Capco presented Cayetano's Alien Certificate of Registration dated March 18, 1976, and a renewed certificate dated January 23, 1985, which Capco claimed Cayetano himself applied for at the Bureau of Immigration. In his complaint, Capco alleged that Cayetano is an American citizen, and that he was disqualified from holding public office in the Philippines. Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales also confirmed that his department records would show Cayetano holding US citizenship.^[82][83]

On April 19, 2007, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) 2nd Division ruled en banc that Cayetano is a natural-born citizen, as he was born in the Philippines, and that his father is a natural-born Filipino citizen.^[84]

Ten years later, on March 16, 2017, Cayetano's citizenship was asked once more by Inquirer columnist and Filipino-American lawyer Rodel Rodis, in response to a Wikipedia list of former US Citizen which included Cayetano and his siblings. Cayetano responded by calling the column a hatchet job, defamation, and fake news. He claimed "To answer your headline: No I am not an American Citizen; I never chose to be an American Citizen." A week later Cayetano clarified that he was born Filipino-American holding both citizenship, and he relinquished his American citizenship in 1998.^[85][86][87]

During the height of the Pork Barrel Scam in mid 2013, Janet Lim-Napoles in her affidavit included Cayetano's name in her list of lawmakers whom she worked with. Napoles claimed that the agent who liaised with Cayetano was a certain "Tito Boy" who claims to be an uncle of Cayetano. Napoles however said that the initial payment to Tito Boy was returned since they could not meet Cayetano's higher demand. Cayetano's name also appeared in Sen. Ping Lacson, and Justice Secretary Leila De Lima's List.^{[88][89][90][91]} Napoles claimed meeting Cayetano at his sister's restaurant Slice in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, where she handed him personally a campaign donation.^[92]

Cayetano denied ever meeting Napoles or receiving kickback money from her. He confirmed however knowing "Tito Boy," but he is not in the country, nor was he involved in the pork barrel.^[93][94]

On February 2016, the lawyer of Vice President Jejomar Binay disclosed to the media that Cayetano, along with Sen. Sonny Trillanes, Cong. Edgar Erice, Vince Dizon, Ronald Llamas, Hernani Braganza, along with businessmen Enrico Gutierrez of SR Metals, and Salvador Zamora of Nickel Asia. Trillanes and Cayetano lead the 25 hearings of the Blue Ribbon Committee on the wealth and assets of Binay.^[95] Binay's camp added that DILG Secretary Mar Roxas was the brains behind Oplan Stop Nognog 2016.^[96]

Cayetano called the accusation as a figment of Binay's imagination.^[97] Nognog is a cartoon character popularized during the 1960 and 1970s, and it has become a pejorative towards dark skinned individuals.

During the launch of the Duterte-Cayetano campaign for the 2016 Presidential Elections at Tondo, Manila, Cayetano staff was accused by the senatoriable candidates of the camp, Sandra Cam, Greco Belgica, Gen. Dionisio Santiago (Ret.), Rafael Alunan III, and Ding Diaz, of blocking their opportunity to go to the platform and hold their own speeches.^[98]

On October 6, 2017, Cayetano was interviewed by British journalist Mehdi Hasan on Al Jazeera. When Hasan asked Cayetano if the 3,800 people killed during police operations were drug pushers, Cayetano answered yes. Mehdi clarified how Cayetano came to that conclusion when the murdered individuals were never given a fair trial. Cayetano responded by claiming police officers responded in self-defense to the alleged drug pushers threatening the officers with guns.^[99][100]

Human Rights Watch called Cayetano Duterte's "Denier-in-Chief" as he rejected the report on the Philippines by the United Nations' Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on Duterte administration's human rights record, and the government-sponsored mass killings of its own citizens. Cayetano would call the report "disinformation" and fake news. Cayetano also added that foreign organizations have no right to interfere in Philippine affairs, since the issue tackles Philippine sovereignty.^{[101][102][103]}

During the 2019 National Elections, Cayetano and his wife, Lani were both running for the 1st District and 2nd District of Taguig respectively. The COMELEC received separate petitions to disqualify the Cayetano couple due to residency issues. Cayetano indicated in his Certificate of Candidacy that his residency is Bagumbayan, Taguig, while his wife indicated she was a resident of Barangay Fort Bonifacio. Petitioners claim that this is in violation of Article 68 and 69, where the Cayetano spouse were having separate domicile. Petitioner Leonides Buac Jr. claimed that the condominium unit indicated by Lani Cayetano was not owned by her or her husband, but that this was under the name of Lino Cayetano. Incidentally, the said unit in Two Serendra was also listed as the domicile of Pia Cayetano.^[104][105]

The COMELEC Second Division later denied the petition of Buac.^[106]

Cayetano is a born-again Christian.^[6] During a Senate hearing by the Committee on Foreign Relations investigating the arrest of Rodrigo Duterte in 2025, Cayetano introduced himself by stating, "More than being Alan Cayetano, or a senator, a former secretary of foreign affairs, [...] I believe I am an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ", which received criticism.^{[107][108][109]}

• Official website