Zamora denies hand in white paper vs Binays

By: Marc Jayson Cayabyab - 10 years ago

Minority Floor Leader Ronaldo Zamora FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Minority floor leader Ronaldo Zamora denied being behind the alleged “white paper” against Vice President Jejomar Binay and his daughters.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, Zamora said he does not have a hand in the alleged black propaganda maligning the Binays.

Binay’s camp alleged that the “white paper” came from a “group holding office in BGC (Bonifacio Global City) and [was] being funded by brothers deeply entrenched in politics and mining.”

It was reported that Zamora’s family owns Nickel Mining Asia, which is housed in an office at BGC.

Although Zamora admitted that he has two brothers with interests in mining, he said his siblings are not involved in sales.

“I do not feel alluded to. I am not in mining, I’m in politics,” he said.

Zamora also said the accusation about the white paper is a scuffle among members of the majority bloc in the House.

“This is a fight among members of the majority, whether or not they are for the vice president or not,” he said.

The supposed “white paper” claimed that from 2007 to 2009, Rep. Binay’s pork barrel was used to pay for political rallies and bused in crowds, while in 2010 and 2011, there were supposed irregularities in vermiculture projects from her Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

Binay described these allegations as “impossible.”

She said she was not a member of Congress in May 2007 and there were no elections from May 2007 up to 2009 involving a Binay family member that would require a pro-Binay political rally.

The paper also said Senator Nancy Binay coursed her PDAF to the National Housing Authority, which her father heads. Binay’s daughter has denied the claim.

Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance said the report forms part of the smear campaign against Vice President Binay, who has expressed his bid to run as president.

The other allegations are the following:

– From 2008 to 2009, the newly elected lawmaker allotted a total of P12.6 million in PDAF to Kasanib Foundation, a nongovernment organization (NGO) founded by her father.

– In 2010, she allocated P15 million to Gabay at Pag-asa ng Masa Foundation for livelihood projects of her constituents in the second district.

– Her brother, Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Jun-Jun” Binay, supposedly received the fund on behalf of the city government through a city resolution.

– In the same year, she also allegedly funneled P12 million to the National Livelihood Development Center, a government corporation embroiled in the P10-billion pork barrel scam.

The amount was for the “implementation of livelihood projects (vermiculture/composting training with backyard vegetables and herbs gardening),” the white paper said.