Binay: Got no money from nursing school

Vice President Jejomar Binay. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Vice President Jejomar Binay denied on Wednesday making money from a joint venture between the University of Makati (UMak) and Systems Technology Inc. (STI) in a nursing college that was folded into the public university. He also denied ophthalmologist Dr. Jack Arroyo, a shareholder in the joint venture was his dummy.

Binay was reacting to the latest allegation made against him by lawyer Renato Bondal, his former ally and friend, at Tuesday’s continuation of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee hearing on corruption allegations against the Vice President.

Speaking to reporters before attending an event at the Le Parc Event Hall at Blue Bay Walk in Pasay City, Binay said he was only a “nominal” stockholder of Philippine Healthcare Educators Inc. (PHEI), which was put up by UMak and STI as the corporate vehicle that would manage the UMak College of Nursing.

“This is just to say that you are part of the board. You need a share so you can be part of the board. But I did not get a centavo. That is not my money. I did not receive any cash dividend,” Binay said.

Bondal said that Binay was among PHEI’s incorporators and that the stockholders received cash dividends.

Binay said he had resigned as PHEI chairman shortly after he was elected vice president in 2010.

Asked if he divested his interest in PHEI, he said: “Paano ko naman ida-divest yun? One share lang ako eh nominal nga ako roon. Hindi ko na alam na dina-divest ’yon eh. (How can I divest that? I only have one share which is of nominal value. I didn’t know I had to divest that.)”

Asked about Bondal’s allegation that he used Arroyo, a nephew of former Sen. Joker Arroyo, as his dummy in the joint venture, Binay said he heard the doctor had dared Bondal to repeat his accusation outside the Senate so he could take appropriate action.