Mayor Binay a no-show at fresh Senate probe on Makati ‘anomalies’

By: Maila Ager - 10 years ago

Vice President Jejomar Binay (left), his son Makati Mayor Junjun Binay (right) and 23 others face plunder case over the alleged “unconscionable overpricing” in the construction of an 11-story parking building (inset) that the city government supposedly built for P1.56 billion. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

MANILA, Philippines — Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay was a no-show again at the resumption of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee hearing on Thursday in spite of the panel’s recommendation to cite him and six other officials of Makati City government in contempt.

Binay and the other city officials were among the invited resource persons to the subcommittee’s investigation into the alleged overpricing of the Makati City Hall 2 parking building and other alleged irregularities in Makati City during the time of then mayor and now-Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Among the invited resource persons are former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado, Darlene Marie Berberabe, president of the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-Ibig, officials of the Commission on Audit and the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV confirmed in a radio interview over dzMM that fresh allegations against the Vice President involving a deal between the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) and a private real estate developer would be among the subjects of the day’s hearing.

In Thursday’s headline of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado claimed that Binay, longtime BSP president, earned close to P200 million in kickbacks from the deal with Alphaland Corp. which involved the development of a one-hectare prime property in Makati City valued at P1 billion in 2005.

Trillanes said the figure mentioned by Mercado was just an initial commission supposedly received by the Vice President.
The senator initiated the investigation on the alleged overpricing of the parking building, which has branched out to other alleged irregularities involving the Vice President.

Last week, the senator filed another resolution, requesting the subcommittee to look into the BSP deal and other irregular transactions allegedly entered into by the Pag-ibig Fund, whose board of trustees is chaired by Vice President Binay.