Senate Blue Ribbon body to officially invite Binay this week

Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee plans to send this week the invitation to Vice President Jejomar Binay to appear at a hearing on alleged Makati City anomalies during his long stint as its mayor, after its members settle on the date for his appearance, according to its chair, Sen. Teofisto Guingona III has said.

Guingona also said on Tuesday that he decided to have the Blue Ribbon mother committee issue the invitation, instead of the subcommittee, which had been leading the inquiry, to prevent a clash of institutions.

He noted that Binay earlier said he would not appear before the subcommittee, but the latter has been insistent on inviting him. The matter could be brought before the Supreme Court, he said.

“To avoid a clash between the Office of the Vice President, Supreme Court, and the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, I deemed it best that I issue the invitation,” he told reporters.

He earlier said the Blue Ribbon mother committee would issue the invitation in response to a statement from Binay’s camp that he would consider appearing before the Senate if the probe were to be conducted by the Blue Ribbon Committee and not the subcommittee.

Asked on Tuesday if the mother Blue Ribbon Committee would take over the investigation of the Makati issues, Guingona said on Tuesday that he was not yet clear about this and would take it step by step. He would issue the invitation first, he said.

The Blue Ribbon subcommittee continues to investigate the allegations against Binay, which arose from its inquiry on the alleged overprice of the Makati City Hall II parking building

Meanwhile, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV withdrew his recommendation that Hilmarc’s Construction Corporation Chair Efren Canlas and President Robert Henson be cited in contempt for failing to appear in an earlier hearing of the subcommittee despite being summoned.

Hilmarc’s built the P2.28 billion Makati City Hall II.

Trillanes said the two executives had showed up in a subsequent hearing of the subcommittee, and this remedied the situation.

“Hence, the contempt recommendation was withdrawn,” he said.

The subcommittee has no power to cite resource persons in contempt, since the authority to punish for contempt is the exclusive domain of the mother committee. The subcommittee can only recommend that persons be cited in contempt.

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