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MANILA, Philippines — After a lull of almost one month, the Senate again resumed its investigation on Thursday on the alleged anomalies committed by past and present officials of the Makati City government.
The subcommittee held its last hearing on Feb. 18, 2015 with businessman Roberto Ongpin, owner of Alphaland Corp. in connection with a land deal that his company had entered into with the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP).
In that hearing, Ongpin repeatedly denied that Vice President Jejomar Binay, who also serves as BSP president, received millions of kickbacks from the said land deal.
READ: Roberto Ongpin denies giving Binay kickbacks from Alphaland-BSP land deal
Aside from Ongpin, other officials of Alphaland, BSP, Hilmarc’s Construction Corporation, Commission on Audit officer in charge Heidi Mendoza, Securities and Exchange Commission chairperson Teresita Herbosa, and Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Jacinto Henares, among others were invited at the resumption of the hearing by the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee. Ongpin, however, did not show up in the probe.
The resumption came a day after the Office of the Ombudsman ordered the suspension of Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay and other officials in connection with the allegedly anomalous construction of the Makati City Hall 2 parking building, the first and main subject matter of the Senate probe initiated by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
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