Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV and Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
MANILA, Philippines – The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay lashed out at the inspection of the Makati City Hall Building 2 conducted by members of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Monday.
“What the inspection proved is that Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has a misjudging eye for the quality of the materials used in the building’s construction,” United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) Secretary General Tobias Tiangco said in a statement.
“I had no idea Trillanes was also an interior decorator- at least he will have a job after 2019 [when his term as senator ends,] he said.
Trillanes, along with Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, conducted the ocular inspection of the alleged overpriced building to verify Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay’s claims that it was a “world-class building.”
The 11-storey carpark and office building, built during the term of Vice President Binay, cost P2.2 billion.
Trillanes noted however that the building did not have even a centralized air-conditioning system. He said no ceilings were installed in some of the offices in the building.
Some of the tiles in the parking area were broken and there were visible cracks in some of the walls.
Based on these observations, Trillanes said he is convinced that the building was not “world-class” as Mayor Binay claimed during a previous Senate inquiry.
Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla, Vice President Binay’s spokesman, said that what matters is that the building complied with the appropriate rules and regulations on government projects.
“What is important is that the materials used are the same ones reflected in the bill of materials, bidding was conducted, and that the Commission on Audit audited the entire process and rendered a finding that there was no overpricing,” Remulla said in a statement.
“Outside these issues, they are subjective, biased statements,” he said.
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