Binay hits foes for smear

MANILA, Philippines–Vice President Jejomar Binay on Wednesday fired back at his accusers and detractors, singling out administration coalition allies for the political attacks against him but careful not to link President Aquino.

A day after former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado accused Binay of making money from the allegedly overpriced P2.28-billion Makati City Hall Parking Building in an ongoing Senate investigation, Binay called for a news conference to deny anew the allegations.

The Vice President also insinuated that his accuser had a deeper involvement than him in the supervision of the controversial project.

But even as he slammed Mercado, Binay said he was noncommittal if he would press charges.

The Vice President did not rule out the possibility he would attend hearings of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee even if he criticized the partiality of its members and how they treated witnesses who testified that there was no overprice in the project.

“I and my family did not receive any money in any transactions in Makati City—not in the construction of the parking building or any building in Makati City, from contractors and businessmen of our city and especially in giving and baking cakes or other benefits for Makati residents,” Binay said in a statement in Filipino that he read at the news conference.

Going into the Senate inquiry, Binay said the bearing of Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV at the hearings on Aug. 20 and Aug. 26 “reinforced” his fear that the investigation was a “politicized forum meant to find my criminal liability and was not in aid of legislation.”

He zeroed in on the way Trillanes had tried to initially stop the testimony of the building contractor, a representative of Hilmarcs Construction Corp., and how the lawmaker threatened to include her in the plunder complaint against him and his son, Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, after the contractor’s representative testified to belie the overpriced allegations.

At the first hearing, Federico Cuervo, a property appraiser from Cuervo Valuers & Advisory, said the average cost of a building in Barangay (village) Poblacion, Makati City, was P23,000 per square meter based on 2007 prices. He also said the P23,000 value was for a “Grade A” building.

Construction of the parking building began in 2008. It was finished in 2013.

Timed for next surveys

“Why are they maligning me? It’s because of the information that the next political surveys will start soon. They wanted their tirades against me to impact on the people’s support for me because not only do I have a high trust rating but I am also the front-runner in the people’s preference for President,” said Binay, who was the leading presidential aspirant in a recent opinion poll.

Binay said Mercado was being used by certain people in government who had promised him he would get projects and commissions in exchange for his Senate testimony against him.

But when pressed to identify these government officials, the Vice President declined to elaborate. He said Mercado would know who they were.

“There is a motive here,” Binay said.

Asked whether he thought Malacañang or Aquino’s Liberal Party had a hand in the political attacks against him, he said: “I don’t want to speculate on the part of the President. As for the party, they’re in this together. Bondal, Mercado… their group is attacking me.”

NP allies

Binay was apparently referring to allies of the Nacionalista Party (NP) because lawyer Renato Bondal, one of the two lawyers who filed a plunder complaint against Binay and his son, and Mercado were party members. Bondal ran for Makati mayor in 2013 and lost while Mercado ran for the same position in 2010 but lost to Binay’s son.

The NP is a member of the administration coalition in Congress.

Binay also insinuated that Mercado had supervised the construction of the parking building and other projects.

Little mayor

Asked about Mercado’s role in the parking building, Binay described the then vice mayor as being the “little mayor” of the city. “He made follow-ups,” he said.

Reiterating that Mercado should be charged after he admitted receiving kickbacks from the parking building project, Binay said he had heard that his then vice mayor was into these activities.

“Sabi-sabi (allegations),” was how he described it.

Pressed if he undertook an investigation of Mercado, the Vice President said it was difficult to just believe rumors.

He insisted that he had trusted his then vice mayor so much that he allowed him to follow up the city government’s projects.

That was why he said he was saddened that Mercado acknowledged that he had pocketed kickbacks. At the same, Binay said he was glad that the latter made the admission.

Reminded that he had insisted the construction of the parking building was above board, Binay said it was his detractors who were saying the opposite.

Involving others

Asked why Mercado was saying that he too made money from the parking building like him, Binay said: “Nandadamay lang po ‘yun (He was just involving others).”

The Vice President said he heard that Mercado had been instructed by his backers to insist that he accepted money too, but apparently the former vice mayor became conscientious and said this was his speculation.

Binay initially said he would study what cases could be filed against Mercado and then said he would leave it up to the Senate subcommittee to make the recommendation.

Later, he said he would just leave Mercado’s fate to God.

No formal invitation

Binay did not rule out the possibility that he would attend the next Senate hearing scheduled for Sept. 4.

He said he had not been invited formally to the Senate inquiry and should there be an invitation, he would see if there was an opportunity for him to do so.

In saying that there was nothing irregular in the construction of the parking building, Binay cited the following:

— The Commission on Audit (COA) audited the project 10 times in six years and did not find any anomaly.

— The construction of the parking building underwent study and processes in accordance with the General Procurement Act.

— The project was funded through a budget provided by the Makati City Council for five years and that the funds were covered by ordinances.

P200M saved

The COA said it would conduct a special audit of the construction of the Makati City Hall Parking Building. COA Chair Grace Pulido-Tan told the Senate on Aug. 20 that her agency had found “red flags,” such as the division of the project into several phases and the quick award of the contracts.

Binay said the city government actually saved P200 million in constructing the project because initially it had estimated the total cost at P2.4 billion.

While the Vice President did most of the talking at the press conference, he introduced his new spokesman, Cavite Gov. Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla, an NP member.

New Binay spokesman

Remulla said he asked and got the permission from the NP head, former Sen. Manuel Villar Jr., to be the spokesman of Binay.

“I believe in the Vice President … I believe in his vision for the country … I believe in his integrity and [he is] the most qualified person [to run for President],” Remulla told reporters.

He refused to say his alliance with Binay signaled the NP was aligning with Binay’s soon-to-be launched political party.

Remulla said his NP party mates Trillanes and Cayetano were using the Senate inquiry for their political plans.

Trillanes has declared that he will run for higher office while Cayetano is eyeing the presidency in 2016.

Remulla said Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco, secretary general of the United Nationalist Alliance, would be speaking on the “broader spectrum” of things.

Tiangco said the Vice President needed more people to defend him given that the latter had been taking a lot of beating from his political opponents.

“We were being punched 10 times and I’m all alone [as the spokesman],” said Tiangco, who used to speak on behalf of Binay.

The Vice President said he chose Remulla because the Cavite governor was a good leader and would do a good job in speaking for him.

He said Remulla would be joining his new party.

Binay also said that he expected more political mud to be thrown his way and his family, noting that he heard that there would be attempts to unseat him and his son.

Originally posted at 12:34 am | Thursday, August 28, 2014

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