Binay clears Aquino of demolition plan against him, singles out Mendoza

Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Vice President Jejomar Binay on Thursday said he believed that President Benigno Aquino III is not involved in what he claimed as a “political demolition plan” against him.

“Sa Diyos at sa tao, hindi naman po yan gagawin at pangungunahan ni Pangulong Noynoy. Naniniwala akong wala siyang kinalaman (I believe in God’s name and in behalf of the Filipino people, President Aquino won’t do anything like that. I believe he doesn’t know anything about that),” Binay said in a statement.

Binay also called on Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Heidi Mendoza to explain her actions, saying “her silence was totally out of character.”

“Commissioner Mendoza should explain her obsessive interest in Makati, particularly the programs during my term as mayor. She should come clean,” Binay said.

Earlier, Binay alleged that Mendoza had “quietly created” a task force to review city programs and projects during the 23 years that he served as Makati Mayor.

He said the audit was part of a demolition plot against him by people who saw him as a threat to their political ambitions in 2016. He also added that there was a plan to “take him out” of his position by December.

“Hindi ko nga pong malaman kung anong ibig sabihin noon. Kung tatanggalin ako sa pwesto o sa paninira. Nakapagtataka po, at dahil sa nagtutugma ito na talagang mayroong demolition, na ako ay sisiraan, at ang period of time ay hanggang December (I don’t know what to say then on the issue of me being removed from my post and the mudslinging. I am appalled, and it coincides with the fact that there’s a demolition, that I am being wronged and the time period is until December),” he said.

But Binay refused to name the people who he thinks are behind the smear campaign.

“Ayoko ho mag-speculate. Hanggang doon na lang ho sa gawain muna ni Heidi Mendoza. Sabi ko nga, ‘yong pinagsususpetsahan niyo—kung meron kayong pinagsususpetsahan—siguro pare-paro na lang tayo. Pero ayoko to make a public statement dahil sa speculation ‘yon (I don’t want to speculate. I’ll just limit it to what Heidi Mendoza is doing. Like what I’ve said, if you have speculations, we all have the same thing in mind. But I don’t want to make a public statement because these are all speculations),” he said.

Binay also insisted that the current COA audit of his Makati Friendship Suites project during his stint as Mayor was already cleared by COA during then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s term. He said no case was filed against him on the issue.

“Inimbestigahan na ho kami ng COA noon, panahon pa po ni Mrs. Arroyo. At kahit na galit sa amin yung administrasyon noon, naipaliwanag naman namin nang tama ‘yon, walang masama doon (We were investigated by COA during the time of Mrs. Arroyo. And even if her administration was so angry at us, we were able to explain the issue well and good, that there’s nothing wrong with it),” he said.

COA had initiated a probe into the use of the Makati Friendship Suites—buildings originally bought by the Makati city government as part of a housing program for informal settlers in Makati but have been converted into a hostel.

It was reported that COA based its actions from a complaint it received from a group calling itself “Concerned Employees of Makati.” The group claimed that the Makati City government, under then Mayor Jejomar Binay, passed an ordinance in 2002 on the purchase of three unfinished buildings at the Guadalupe Bliss Housing project in Barangay Cembo for P17.233 million—money that was taken from the Binay’s special project fund.

It was reported that the group claimed that the housing project was later converted to a hostel which became known as the Makati Friendship Suites. It also claimed that the hostel was used by officials of Makati’s numerous sister cities whenever they came for a visit.

Inquirer.net tried to reach Mendoza but the Information Office of COA said Mendoza declined to give comments at the moment.