Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV and Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
MANILA, Philippines – Senator Antonio Trillanes IV expressed hope on Monday that people would be enlightened and shun Vice President Jejomar Binay in the 2016 presidential elections, given the revelations about his alleged corrupt practices in Senate blue ribbon subcommittee hearing.
“If we want a thief for a President, the Philippines will deteriorate,” Trillanes said.
He added that if Binay became President, he might turn the country into his own hacienda.
Trillanes said more evidence and witnesses would be presented about alleged irregularities in Makati City, and that he intended to pursue the investigation of other infrastructure projects and anomalies there.
“We will look into those. What happened in Makati may be happening in other local government units in the country. Who knows, maybe the same thing is happening in Navotas or in the provincial capital of Cavite,” he said, in an apparent dig at Binay’s spokespersons, Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco and Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla.
According to Trillanes, Binay would be on the losing end if he continues to snub the hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee on allegations of corruption and irregularities in Makati City.
Trillanes, who filed the resolution that initiated the Senate probe on the alleged overprice of the Makati City Hall II, believes Binay is just afraid to face the panel because he knows he cannot refute the allegations against him.
Aside from the alleged overprice of the building, the hearing has also heard and tackled allegations that Binay received kickbacks from infrastructure projects when he was mayor, and that he used dummies to hide his assets, including a 350-hectare hacienda.
Trillanes said he was glad that the vast majority of Filipinos agreed with his call for the Vice President to face the Senate, as shown by a recent Social Weather Station survey.
“We will show our countrymen that [Binay’s] continuous absence [in the hearings] is proof that he is guilty of these allegations,” he told reporters.
“He will be on the losing end, until he faces us here,” he later added.
According to him, anybody faced with false accusations would be so angry and would elect to face his accusers in the same forum to belie their claims.
He also noted that other erstwhile top executive officials, such as former President Fidel V. Ramos and former Vice President Noli de Castro, have deigned to attend Senate hearings in the past.
Binay and his spokespersons have slammed the conduct of the Senate inquiry, calling it a “kangaroo court” and added the senators have already prejudged the issue.
They also said there was a proper venue to respond to the claims made against the President, and it was not the Senate subcommittee.
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