Senate probes defacing of senator's photos

Even as it prepares to welcome its new members, the Senate has started an investigation into the supposed defacement of photos of one of its members inside the Senate premises. Radio dzBB's Nimfa Ravelo reported Thursday an investigation is now ongoing to track down the vandal who defaced at least two photos of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, at the Senate's second floor. Ravelo said the defaced photos included a solo photo of Cayetano, and a photo of him with his wife, newly elected Taguig Mayor Laarni "Lani" Cayetano. The report, however, did not describe how the photos were vandalized.

A separate report on dzXL radio said the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) started the probe after receiving a formal complaint from Cayetano's staff. Cayetano won a Senate seat under the banner of the Genuine Opposition in 2007. He allied himself with Nacionalista Party president and defeated presidential bet Manuel Villar Jr. in this year's May 10 polls. His term will end in 2013 and he is eligible to run for a second term. As of Thursday morning, the supposedly defaced photos – along with most photos of the other senators in the 14th Congress – had been taken down, to be replaced with photos of senators in the incoming 15th Congress. The exhibit panel boards featuring the photos of the senators are located at the second floor of the Senate building. The dzBB report said the OSAA is now reviewing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage to get a glimpse of the culprit. OSAA chief retired Maj. Gen. Jose Balajadia Jr. said it is unlikely the culprit is a Senate employee, saying no one would be "stupid enough" to do such a thing as they are aware of CCTV cameras in the building. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV