Binay given ‘final chance’ to clear name at Senate hearing

THE Senate blue ribbon subcommittee has again invited Vice President Jejomar Binay to attend its hearing next week, saying it could be his “final chance” to address all the issues hurled against him.

In a letter to Binay dated June 29, 2015, Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, chairman of the subcommittee, said its investigation on corruption allegations against the Vice President was not a “demolition campaign.”

Pimentel also assured that his call for an audit of all shelter agencies when Binay was still the chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) was not also “part of and not meant to be a demolition campaign against you.”

“Have we forgotten that public office is a public trust?” the senator asked in his letter.

“At this point in time, no one knows what the results of the audit will be. Should this turn out to be positive, then you can even use this as propaganda in your campaign for the presidency in 2016.”

“But if there should be serious negative findings, then you have additional issues that you need to explain to the people,” Pimentel added.

The senator said he would never be a party to a demolition campaign against Binay, citing the close to 30 years that they had been together in one political group.

Pimentel belonged to Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance until they had a falling out in 2013.

It was unfortunate, he said, that the Vice President chose not to face the Senate probe only because he did not want to be disrespected by some senators who were participating in the hearings.

“Dahil sa sobrang takot nyo na mabastos sa hearing ay hinayaan na lang ninyo ang pag akusa sa inyo ng krimen na kasing bigat ng pandarambong. Logical ba yun? Dahil lamang sa sobrang takot na mabastos?” asked the senator.

“Pareho po naman tayong abogado at alam natin na ang takot sa imbestigasyon ay iyun lamang may tinatago,” he added.

Pimentel said he was also extremely disappointed when he learned Binay’s supposed refusal to participate even in the proceedings of the Office of the Ombudsman despite his pronouncements that he was ready to answer the allegations against him in the proper forum.

“As someone who campaigned and voted for you as Vice President in 2010, I feel that I got fooled by your catchy slogan ‘Kay Binay, Gaganda ang Buhay,’ because what has been revealed in the Senate hearings is that si Binay gumanda ang buhay.”

“Now, therefore, as the chairman of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee on proposed Senate Resolutions No. 826 and 1114, I am again inviting you to attend the next subcommittee hearing scheduled on July 7, 2015 at 1 p.m. at the Senate session hall.”

“This may be your final chance to address point-by-point all the issues and allegations hurled against you in the course of the hearings,” Pimentel added.