The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay Tuesday said a “demolition plan” against him was in the works as it alleged that a ranking Commission on Audit (COA) official had created a task force just to investigate the projects he pursued during his 23-year stint as mayor of Makati City.
In a statement on Tuesday, Binay’s spokesperson Joey Salgado described as “disturbing” an earlier Inquirer report saying COA had initiated an investigation into the 10-year-old Makati Friendship Suites project in Guadalupe.
“The timing of the Makati Friendship Suites audit is disturbing. And we feel strongly that the real target of the audit is the Vice President,” Salgado said.
Salgado dismissed the probe as part of a smear campaign against his boss, who is considered a strong contender in the 2016 presidential race and is currently assembling a senatorial slate for next year’s polls.
“Since early this year, we have been receiving reports of a demolition plan against the Vice President,” he said, adding:
“It saddens the Vice President that until now, there are some elements who will misuse government resources to persecute perceived political enemies.”
Binay’s office also claimed that COA Commissioner Heidi Mendoza was behind a new round of audits on the former Makati mayor’s projects.
Appointed COA commissioner last year, Mendoza earlier blew the whistle during a Senate investigation on the alleged misuse of funds in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Salgado said the Vice President’s office received information that Mendoza had created a task force to probe Binay’s projects even after they had already undergone the auditing process.
“Commissioner Mendoza has been very vocal about her dislike for the Vice President. She has reportedly made her sentiments known to members of Congress and other government officials, many of whom have relayed the information to the Vice President,” Salgado said.
“While we respect her opinion, we would like to remind Commissioner Mendoza that our personal opinions should not color our work or professional judgment, especially in such a politically-sensitive office,” he added.
The COA said it would respond to the Binay camp’s statement today.
The commission’s public information office earlier this week confirmed that it had initiated a probe on Makati Friendship Suites upon receipt of a letter from a group that called itself “Concerned Employees of Makati.”
The letter claimed that P17.23 million in city government funds were used to purchase the then unfinished buildings supposedly to house informal settlers displaced by a fire.
But the three buildings, all under the Guadalupe Bliss Housing Project, were converted into a hostel for visiting officials from Makati’s numerous sister cities across the country.
Salgado earlier dismissed the matter as a “nonissue,” stressing that the city government’s actions concerning the buildings were all above board.
The displaced families who were supposed to be the beneficiaries of the project were instead given relocation sites complete with schools and health centers in Bulacan and Laguna provinces, he said.