Nancy Binay vows fairness in appreciating Poe’s case at SET

SENATOR Nancy Binay brushed aside on Monday speculations that her participation in the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) hearing on a petition filed against Senator Grace Poe would be politically tainted, as she promised to remain “fair and reasonable in appreciating the case.”

“Wala naman pong dapat ikabahala si Senator Grace… ’Di naman dapat maging kumplikado ito. All she needs to do is to show evidence–yun lamang ang kailangan,” Binay said in a statement, referring to the petition filed last week by defeated senatorial candidate Rizalito David.

Binay is one of the nine members of SET, now being headed by Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio. The other members are Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo de Castro and Arturo Brion and Senators Loren Legarda, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Pia Cayetano, Cynthia Villar and Vicente Sotto III.

As a member of the tribunal, Binay said she has a responsibility that she needs to fulfill.

“Dadalo ako sa lahat ng pagdinig, babasahin kong mabuti ang mga ebidensya at makikinig sa parehong panig. Hindi ako maniniwala sa sabi-sabi at haka-haka o magpapadala sa daloy ng politika. Evidence and the Constitution will guide me, not politics,” she said.

“I would like to assure the people that I will remain fair and reasonable in appreciating the case. As a senator-member, I choose to do my job and involve myself in the deliberations,” she added.

Binay said the objectivity of SET has not been shaken and the people have no reason to doubt the integrity of the electoral tribunal.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to imply that Senator Grace can’t expect impartiality from SET. The Constitution made sure that the six senators who are part of the nine-member electoral tribunal are chosen based on equitable representation from the political parties they represent in the Senate,” she said.

“Kung meron man pong lehitimong kwestiyon patungkol sa pagka-Pilipino ng isang nanunungkulan sa Senado, tungkulin po ng SET na ito’y dinggin at tingnan ang kasapatan ng mga ebidensya ayon sa sinasabi ng batas,” said Binay.

As far as she is concerned, Binay said she would base her judgment on the evidence presented.

“If there are matters that need to be resolved by the Supreme Court which are outside the jurisdiction of SET, then we will accordingly refer such matter to the SC. The SET is trying to resolve an electoral matter that is within its jurisdiction and mandate,” she said.

“With the appreciation of the facts of the case and the relevance of the documents to be presented, I assure everyone that I will be fair and objective,” said Binay, daughter of the Vice President.

Poe, who has overtaken the Vice President in the latest presidential survey of the Pulse Asia, was a signatory to a committee report that recommended the filing of plunder and graft charges against him over the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall 2 parking building.