Trillanes reveals Binay’s ‘pattern of corruption’
SENATOR Antonio Trillanes IV disclosed on Monday what he described as “pattern of corruption” allegedly being perpetrated by Vice President Jejomar Binay.
At the continuation of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee hearing on corruption allegations against Binay and his family, Trillanes linked the Vice President to an insurance brokerage, which he said has “monopoly” over the insurance business of Pag-IBIG Funds, and to a law firm that allegedly helped stop the suspension of Binay’s son and incumbent Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay.
Trillanes said Raoul Angangco, president of Lockton Philippines Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Inc., which handles the insurance business of Pag-Ibig Funds, and lawyer Arthur Villaraza are partners in the Villaraza and Angangco law office.
In a resolution last month, the senator accused Villaraza of allegedly facilitating the payments to two Court of Appeals (CA) justices, whom he said had allegedly received P25 million each to stop the suspension of Mayor Binay.
The mayor was preventively suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall 2 parking building but the CA issued a temporary restraining order on his suspension.
“A few weeks back, I stumbled upon information regarding the alleged bribery of CA (Court of Appeals) justices facilitated by Atty. Pancho Villaraza na partner ni Raoul Angangco. So dito malinawag na ang Villaraza and Angangco law office is with the Binay camp,” Trillanes said.
Aside from Angangco, the senator said two directors of the insurance brokerage — Maria Conception Simundac and Leo Bernard Samaco — are also partners in the law firm.
“I wish this is just a coincidence but again, citing yung mga pattern of corruption or template of corruption ni Vice President Binay, I sincerely doubt that,” said the senator.
“Wala ng benefit of the doubt. I really wish we could give the Vice President that pero naka-20 hearings na po tayo hindi ko na po ibibigay yan, pag may nakita akong link, ilalabas ko yan dahil I’m almost sure it’s just a matter of time ’pag lumabas ang mga ebidensyang yan mahuhuli at mahuhuli yan,” he pointed out.
Before this, Trillanes questioned the composition of the insurance brokerage of Pag-Ibig Funds, saying many of its officials were identified with the Vice President.
But Pag-Ibig Funds president and chief executive officer Darlene Berberabe defended the insurance brokerage, saying that premium payments of Pag-Ibig members went down compared with the rates of its old insurance brokerage, YRT (Yearly Renewable Term) Insurance Pool.
For the past 20 years, she said, insurance business of Pag-Ibig Funds worth P1.3 billion, was being handled by YRT, which she said was unincorporated.
“We reviewed the contract, the contract was a perpetual contract. It did not have time period; it was never reviewed for its term and conditions…” Berberabe said of YRT.
Upon recommendations by appropriate agencies of government, she said Pag-Ibig Funds bid out its insurance business.
She said Lockton accredits the insurance firms but the agency’s board of trustees still has a say in the list of companies that the brokerage is going to accredit.
“That’s even worse Atty. Berberabe,” Trillanes said.
“Sa dami ho ng aking magandang sinabi e talagang worse pa rin,” said the Pag-Ibig head.
“Mahirap ho talagang magtahi ng storya,” said the senator.
