Binay Jr: COA report belies building ‘overprice’

MANILA, Philippines–Makati Mayor Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr. on Wednesday cited the February 2014 findings of a government auditor assigned to the city to belie allegations that a P1.56-billion building project initiated during his father’s term and finished under the younger Binay’s watch was grossly overpriced.

The Commission on Audit (COA) officer whose report he was citing, however, was Cecilia Caga-anan, a corespondent along with the Binays and other city officials in the plunder complaint filed in the Office of the Ombudsman on July 22.

In a statement, Mayor Binay claimed that the allegations were politically motivated, noting that one of the complainants, Renato Bondal, a lawyer who challenged him in the 2013 polls, had been touring Visayan cities lately as part of a “demolition job” against his father, Vice President Jejomar Binay, a front-runner in surveys of 2016 presidential contenders.

“How can a local politician, a perennial loser at that, suddenly find the resources and the boldness to go on a region-wide speaking tour with media coverage? There are obviously national-level backers behind him,” the mayor said, adding they expected more “baseless” accusations to be hurled against his father in the weeks to come.

He said these would include complaints filed in connection with several Makati projects that had been implemented, such as the Friendship Suites, Makati Science High School, the new Ospital ng Makati, “and our birthday cakes for seniors, among other programs.”

“All these projects have passed COA scrutiny but that will not prevent our detractors from proceeding with their demolition campaign,” he said.

The young Binay said a COA memorandum signed Feb. 17 by Caga-anan, the Makati resident auditor, “effectively disproved” the complaint filed by Bondal and Nicolas Enciso VI of the Save Makati Movement.

Bondal and Enciso alleged the New Makati City Parking Building on F. Zobel Street in Barangay (village) Poblacion was “the most expensive parking building in the entire country” since it cost the city government P1.56 billion.

According to the plunder complaint, Caga-anan was included as a respondent because of her supposed failure to prevent the Binays and their co-accused from completing “an observably anomalous transaction.”

To explain the cost, city officials maintained that the building was not just a structure for parking but a “green” office building or one designed with modern, environmentally sound features that require materials of higher quality.

The mayor then argued that the complaint was “fabricated” as it came in the wake of a Pulse Asia survey showing his father was the leading choice for president in the 2016 race.

“The COA memorandum validates our position that this so-called plunder complaint is not supported by facts and is part of a well-funded demolition job against my father,” he said in Wednesday’s statement.