Presidential Communications Herminio Coloma Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — President Benigno Aquino III has no intention to meddle in the ongoing Senate investigation on alleged anomalies involving Vice President Jejomar Binay, a Palace official reiterated Thursday.
“President Aquino was simply expressing his views on the appropriate mechanisms for ferreting out the truth and for exacting accountability in a manner consistent with law,” Presidential Communications Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a statement.
Coloma was reacting to the statement of Senator Aquilino Pimentel III that Aquino should keep his hands off the Senate investigation on the alleged irregularities committed by Binay during his stint as Makati City mayor.
Pimentel said the President should be hands-off in the conduct of a legislative investigation or he might face criticisms for interfering in the affairs of a coequal branch of government.
While in Beijing attending an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference last Tuesday, Aquino said he hoped all evidence against Binay would be presented so that those liable would be charged and “we can all focus and go back to our other work.”
“The President has suggested that the Senate consider if its inquiry ‘has matured to go into the more formal process’ so that its efforts to address alleged anomalies in government may be brought into full fruition,” Coloma said.
“Is Senator Pimentel implying that the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice are unwilling or incapable of investigating irregularities in government?” he added.
Malacañang has earlier said that there was nothing wrong when Aquino relayed to Senate President Franklin Drilon Binay’s request to stop the Senate probe against the vice president.
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