Binay camp says P1B from 2 housing projects ‘work of fiction’

“Another work of fiction,” was how Vice President Jejomar Binay’s camp described the new allegations that he received P1 billion from two housing projects in Makati City and Calauan, Laguna province.

Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

Binay’s spokesperson, Joey Salgado, belittled lawyer Renato Bondal’s allegations at Thursday’s Senate blue ribbon subcommittee hearing that the Vice President got P1 billion from Makati Friendship Suites in Makati City and relocation site Makati Homeville in Calauan.

Bondal said that based on their estimates and research, the two housing projects were overpriced. He did not say, however, how Binay gained from it.

READ: Binay got P1B from Makati, Laguna projects–Bondal

“Another work of fiction from a serial election loser in Makati and self-confessed manghuhula (fortune-teller),” Salgado said in a statement on Thursday.

The spokesperson noted that Bondal was the same person who claimed Makati’s birthday cakes were overpriced at P1,000.

But when this was discredited by official documents, he said Bondal “sheepishly admitted nanghula lang sya (he only guessed it).”

“He (Bondal) is the same person who pegged his claim of overpricing in the case of Makati City Hall Building 2 on National Statistics Office data. But the NSO (National Statistics Office) had clarified that their data is not based on actual construction cost,” Salgado said.

“In short, Mr. Bondal has a track record of lying or using unreliable data to make wild accusations against the Vice President.” RC