Senate President Franklin Drilon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
SENATE President Franklin Drilon on Tuesday signed the arrest and detention order of 14 resource persons cited in contempt for continued refusal to attend the Senate’s hearings on corruption allegations against Vice President Jejomar Binay.
READ: 14 resource persons face Senate arrest
“I have signed today the order of arrest and detention against 14 individuals for their repeated refusal to appear before the committee investigating the questionable transactions involving the construction of various government projects, which allegedly involved Vice President Jejomar Binay and Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay,” Drilon said in a statement.
Included in the arrest and detention order was Binay’s alleged bagman and dummy, Gerry Limlingan.
The 13 others ordered arrested and detained were the following:
Vissia Marie Aldon
Danilo Villas
Aida Alcantara
Hirene Lopez
Irene S. Chong
Imee S. Chong
Kim Tun S. Chong
Irish S. Chong
Erlinda S. Chong
Kimster S. Chong
Anne Lorraine Buencamino-Tiu
James L. Tiu
Antonio L. Tiu
The order said the 14 individuals are being ordered arrested and detained “for unduly refusing to appear before the subcommittee notwithstanding the valid issuance of subpoena ad testificandum for the hearing scheduled on October 30, 2014 and thereby delaying, impeding, and obstructing the inquiry into the alleged P1.601billion overpricing of the 11-storey New Makati City Hall Parking Building, the reported overpricing of the 22-storey Makati City Hall Building at the average cost of P240,000 per square meter, and related anomalies…”
“It is most important to show everyone the need to respect the Senate’s authority and abide by its subpoena orders, which are issued in order to gather resource persons who can aid the committee in unearthing the truth,’ Drilon said.
“Otherwise, people will ignore the Senate’s invitations to join hearings as resource persons, and the senators will be prevented from making their investigations and doing their jobs,” he added.
The arrest order came a day after the Senate blue ribbon committee being headed by Senator Teofisto Guingona III upheld Monday its subcommittee’s recommendation to cite the resource persons in contempt. IDL/AC