Senate President Franklin Drilon. JOAN BONDOC/INQUIRER
Senate President Franklin Drilon denied on Tuesday the opposition’s claim that the subcommittee draft report that recommended the filing of plunder charges against Vice President Jejomar Binay was railroaded at the Senate.
At least 10 or majority of the 17-member Senate blue ribbon committee have signed the draft report of its subcommittee that investigated the alleged overpricing of the Makati City Hall 2 parking building.
“Unang una, mula pa ng Agosto ng nakalipas na taon nagsimula ang hearings dito. Kaya hindi ko po maintindihan ang ibig nilang sabihin na nire-railroad,” Drilon said in a radio interview.
(First of all, the hearings started in August last year. That’s why I don’t understand what they meant when they said it was railroaded.)
“Ang sabi nila dati: “Ang dami-dami namang hearings dito, 21 na simula pa nang Agosto, siyam na buwan na ang nakaraan. Bakit ganung katagal?” Ngayon naman na may draft committee report na, bumabaligtad naman, baligtad ang sinasabi: “Bakit nire-railroad?” Kaya hindi ko po maintindihan ang kanilang sinsasabi, kung ano ba ang tama,” he further said.
(Before they would say: “They are conducting many hearings: 21 since August, nine months ago. What’s taking it so long?” Now that there’s a draft committee report, they are complaining why it was railroaded. That’s why I don’t understand what they are saying.)
The Senate leader also pointed out that that the entire Senate, and not only one senator, will approve the report.
READ: Nancy Binay dares colleagues: Get real, admit personal motives
“Kaya hindi mo pwedeng sabihin na, ire-railroad ko iyan. Nandiyan si Senador Nancy Binay, pano ire-railroad iyan? Wala pong nagre-railroad ng kahit anong panukalang batas sa Senado, dahil wala po sa aming tradisyon ang ganung klaseng gawain,” Drilon said, referring to the Vice President’s daughter.
(That’s why you can’t say that I will railroad it. Senator Nancy Binay is here, how can I railroad it? No one railroaded any law in the Senate because this is not our practice.)
The draft report was already signed by 10 senators or more than the majority of the 17-member of the mother committee needed to bring it to the plenary for deliberations. IDL
READ: 10 senators ink draft report vs Binay