UNA expects more Senate telenovela of ‘lies’ in 2015

MANILA, Philippines–For the Senate investigation into Vice President Jejomar Binay’s alleged corruption to gain traction when it resumes in January, the senators leading the probe will have to pile up more lies, according to Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) party.

“The attacks against the VP will continue to intensify, but since the people are not buying the lies they’re peddling, we expect the Senate telenovela to have a new twist in its second season,” said UNA interim president and Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco.

UNA would not be surprised if Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, one of the senators leading the probe, and his allies would come up with a “new set of lies against the Vice President,” he said.

Sneak peek

Tiangco said the “sneak peek” recently given by Trillanes to the media about what to expect at the resumption of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee invitation was a desperate move to gain an audience in the face of dwindling public interest.

“They need new twists and personalities in the second season of this Senate telenovela. While we don’t know what new claims and allegations they’ll throw at the Vice President, what we know for sure is that all the stories are part of the script to put down the VP’s ratings,” he said.

Tiangco claimed the public was no longer buying the “lies” Binay’s enemies were peddling in the Senate inquiry into Binay’s alleged corrupt practices in Makati City and his family’s alleged unexplained wealth.

“We’re expecting the continuation of the smear campaign against the Vice President in the new year,” he said in a statement.

Still leading surveys

Binay’s public approval ratings took a nosedive after the Senate subcomittee began looking into allegations that he had rigged the bidding for infrastructure projects in Makati when he was mayor of the city and that he had used his position to amass wealth.

Binay, however, remains the front-runner in the presidential candidate preference surveys of the Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia.

Tiangco said Binay was prepared to answer every issue against him in the proper forum, which he insisted would be the Office of the Ombudsman.

Be more productive

He also challenged Trillanes to do something more productive with his time as senator than resort to “dirty underhanded political attacks.”

“I challenge Senator Trillanes to show something concrete what he has done with his over P1 billion pork barrel and DAP [Disbursement Acceleration Program] funds since he became senator,” he said.

“Besides overpriced multicabs, basketball courts and waiting sheds, what other concrete things has he done to help Filipinos escape from poverty?” Tiangco said of Trillanes.