MANILA, Philippines – Interior Secretary Mar Roxas was tasked by the Ombudsman to implement the preventive suspension order on Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, the son of Vice President Jejomar Binay who beat Roxas for the second highest position of the land in the 2010 elections.
According to the order of suspension, the Ombudsman ordered Roxas as interior secretary to implement the suspension order on Mayor Binay. Roxas oversees local government units as secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
“The Honorable Secretary Manuel Roxas II of the DILG is directed to implement the order immediately upon receipt hereof and notify the Office within five days of the status of implementation,” according to the order signed by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.
Roxas lost to Binay as Vice President in the 2010 elections, when Roxas gave way to Benigno Aquino III for the latter to run as president following the death of his mother former President Corazon Aquino.
The Ombudsman suspended Mayor Binay and 20 others without pay for six months as they face graft, malversation and falsification of documents in connection with the allegedly overpriced Makati parking building.
“They are hereby suspended for six months without pay during the pendency of these cases. In case of delay in the disposition of these cases due to the fault, negligence or any cause attributable to respondents, the period of such delay shall not be counted in computing the period of suspension,” the order read.
The order is “immediately executory,” the Ombudsman said.
According to the Rules of the Ombudsman, a public official may be preventively suspended “if in the judgment of the Ombudsman or his proper deputy, the evidence of guilt is strong…”
Mayor Binay was suspended as the Ombudsman is set to start its preliminary investigation against Vice President Binay, Mayor Binay and 22 others for malversation, falsification, graft and violation of the procurement law in connection with the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall Parking Building.
Vice President Binay was not ordered suspended because he is an impeachable officer.
The Ombudsman Special Panel of Investigators has filed its complaint against the respondents for the alleged overpricing of the parking building, which started construction in 2007 when Vice President Binay was mayor.
The filing of the complaint after months of case build-up and evidence gathering by Ombudsman field investigators paves the way for a preliminary investigation, which precedes the finding of probable cause and subsequent indictment.
According to the Ombudsman, the preliminary investigation will look into the alleged irregularities in the procurement and award for the design and architectural services as well as the construction of the parking building built along F. Zobel street.
The complaint said the respondents awarded the P11.9 million contract for the design and architectural services to MANA Architecture and Interior Design Company without public bidding.
It also said that payment for the contract was released to MANA even without the deliverables made.
The first two phases of the construction of the building also proceeded without a detailed engineering plan, contrary to procurement rules, the complaint said.
The Ombudsman is set to start its preliminary investigation against Vice President Jejomar Binay, his son Makati Mayor Junjun Binay and 22 others for malversation, falsification, graft and violation of the procurement law in connection with the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall Parking Building.
This after the Ombudsman Special Panel of Investigators filed Thursday its complaint against the respondents for the alleged overpricing of the parking building, which started construction in 2007 when Vice President Binay was mayor.
Meanwhile, Hilmarc Construction, the contractor allegedly behind the overpriced construction, was purportedly awarded with the contract despite irregularities and use of falsified documents, the complaint said.
The complaint also said there were two losing bidders in the contract. But as it turns out, one of the bidders deny participation while the other is non-existent.
Besides Mayor Binay, suspended from their government posts are former City Administrator Marjorie de Veyra, City Legal Officer Pio Kenneth Dasal, City Budget Officer Lorenza Amores, former Central Planning Management Office (CPMO) Chief Virginia Hernandez, former City Engineer Mario Badillo, former City Accountant Leonila Querijero, former Acting City Accountant Raydes Pestaño, City Accountant Cecilio Lim III, Acting City Accountant Eleno Mendoza, City Treasurer Nelia Barlis, CPMO Engineers Arnel Cadangan, Emerito Magat and Connie Consulta, CPMO Chief Line Dela Peña, Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Secretariat Heads Giovanni Condes and Manolito Uyaco, Technical Working Group (TWG) Chairman Rodel Nayve, BAC member Ulysses Orienza, General Services Department (GSD) OIC Gerardo San Gabriel, and GSD staff member Norman Flores.
Besides the criminal charges, the respondents except for VP Binay also face administrative raps for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, with the possibility of being suspended from government pending administrative adjudication.
The Ombudsman probe stemmed from a plunder complaint filed by Renato Bondal and Nicholas Enciso VI.
According to the plunder complaint, the construction of the building worth P1.56 billion was overpriced, citing National Statistics Office construction data which amount the average cost of the building that year at P245.6 million only.
The overpricing allegation is the subject of a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing involving Binay.