Why make the Binays look like martyrs? says Trillanes as he spares VP’s wife

MANILA, Philippines—Although tempted to call the wife of Vice President  Jejomar Binay to face the carpark building probe,  Senator  Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV has decided to forgo the move.

He said this would only make the Binays look like “martyrs.”

“It’s a politically touchy issue na ayaw  nating gawing martyr itong mga ito so while ako parang gusto nating ipatawag, sensitive din tayo sa ganyang mga issue,” Trillanes  told reporters  on Wednesday when  asked  if former Makati Mayor Elenita  Binay should also be invited to the hearing of the blue ribbon subcommittee.

“At sa akin bakit ko naman hahayaang yung asawa mo na magpaliwanag. E di ikaw na lang, ikaw yung padre de pamilya…”  the senator said, referring to the Vice President.

Mrs. Binay’s name has been repeatedly mentioned in the past hearings of the committee as one of those who had allegedly received  kickbacks  when the  Vice  President was still the mayor of Makati.  Their son Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay is   the incumbent city mayor.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

During this Wednesday’s hearing of the committee, former   Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado claimed Mrs. Binay broached the idea to equip the piggery in  a 350-hectare  property in Batangas that the  family had allegedly owned with air-condition system.  The Vice President’s camp though repeatedly denied owning the  property.

“Bakit ho ba air-conditioned yung piggery? Ayaw ho kasi ni doctora na nakakaamoy nang mabaho at ayaw din hong may langaw na lumilipad lipad,” Mercado told the  committee.

He said it was also Mrs. Binay who had  incurred huge debts from Hilmarc’s Construction  Corporation, developer of the Batangas property, which he described as “Hacienda Binays.”

“May P30 million na utang si  Doctora, hindi naman po nagbabayad pero tuloy po ang pagawa,” he quoted  the chairman of  Hilmarc’s, Efren Canlas,  and former  city mayor  Nelson  Morales as saying.

Mercado said then he would advise the two to just deduct  the money  from the 13-percent  kickbacks that allegedly went to the Binay family for every project in Makati City.

“Pero ang problema ko po kinabukasan, minumura na ako ng ninang ko. Bakit kulang ang bag…? E binayad po namin kay Engineer Canlas, e. E, hindi nga pwedeng bawasan yan kaya gumawa kayo ng paraan kung paano mababayaran si Engineer Canlas,” he  said, recalling his conversation with Mrs. Binay.

Mercado  surmised that  this was probably the reason Hilmarc’s  projects  in the city  were overpriced so they could collect  what Mrs. Binay owed them.

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