Alan Cayetano 'most traveled' senator in 15th Congress

MANILA, Philippines - Senate minority leader Alan Cayetano topped the list of senators who went on “official mission” -- skipping the regular plenary sessions  --- from July 2010 to June 2013 in the 15th Congress.

Cayetano is joined by Senators Manny Villar, Francis Pangilinan, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Loren Legarda in the top five of the list of senators whose names were marked with "official mission" in the Senators’ Attendance Record obtained from the Senate Journal Service.

“Official mission” or trips are sanctioned by the Senate leadership.

In contrast, the Senate leaders of the 15th Congress including resigned Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, now acting Senate President Jinggoy Estrada, and resigned Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III did not have official missions.

Estrada and Sotto also scored a perfect attendance with no tardy marks.

Senator Sergio “Serge” Osmena and former Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri also had no “official mission” listed under the names.

The Senate registered 184 local trips and 140 foreign sorties with a total of 324 travels marked as “official mission” in the Senators’ Attendance Sheet. There were 214 total session days in the last Congress.

Cayetano topped the list with 63 travels -- 62 locally with one foreign destination.

Villar, former chairman of the Senate committee on trade and commerce, had the most number of travels abroad in 32 destinations, and 24 local sorties or a total of 56 trips.

Pangilinan, chairman of the Senate committee on agriculture, went on 19 local and 11 foreign destinations. Villar and Pangilinan are on their last terms, ending on June 30.

Marcos had 20 local trips and eight foreign travels.

Legarda had 11 foreign and 12 local destinations or a total 23 travel in three consecutive regular sessions of the 15th Congress.

Senator Pia Cayetano, president of Women Parliamentarian of the International Parliamentary Union (IPU), travelled 16 times -- seven local and nine foreign trips.

Senator Edgardo Angara, also a ranking member of IPU, had five local and 10 foreign trips; followed by Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the anti-money laundering oversight committee, with seven trips each locally and abroad; Lito Lapid went abroad nine times and five locally.

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who incurred most absences among the 23 senators, sought permission for four local and nine foreign trips.

Senators Aquilino Pimentel III and Antonio Trillanes IV have skipped 10 session days due to their trips. Pimentel has seven local and three foreign trips while Trillanes has one local and nine foreign tours.

The less travelled senators include Senator Francis Escudero with four each in local and foreign; Ralph Recto, eight travels abroad; Franklin Drilon, one local and four foreign; and Joker Arroyo, one local and three abroad.

Senators Gregorio Honasan and Panfilo Lacson had only three travels each abroad and three in local trips while Senator Ramon Revilla had one travel each locally and abroad.