VP camp: Trillanes wants to ‘squeeze publicity’ from Binay corruption probe
The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay on Wednesday said that Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV wanted to boost his own candidacy for vice president by seeking to resume Senate hearings on corruption allegations involving Binay.
Binay spokesperson Joey Salgado said Trillanes’ statement saying that his intention to resume the inquiry was not politically motivated was a “fantastic claim that no one believes.”
“Pwede ba sir, huwag n’yo kaming lokohin. Clearly, the senator merely wants to squeeze from the hearing whatever publicity it can provide him and his catatonic campaign,” Salgado said in a statement, calling Trillanes as “cellar-dweller” in the vice presidential race.
READ: Trillanes seeks resumption of Binay corruption probe
“After 24 hearings – and despite his office having spent the most for consultants (his brother among them) among all the senators in the past year – all we have heard from the hearings are lies and half-truths. Sabagay, sanay naman si Sen. Trillanes na ipasa sa taxpayers pati ang sahod sa driver at katulong; ano ba naman kung taxpayers din magbabayad sa ambisyon niya,” he added.
Trillanes previously said his seeking a resumption of the probe had nothing to do with Binay’s resurgence in preference surveys.
It was Trillanes who initiated the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee probe in August 2014 on the corruption allegations against the Vice President, which involved accusations of overpricing and kickbacks in the construction of buildings in Makati City when he was still mayor.
Salgado said Trillanes, as someone who is seeking second highest national post, should focus on addressing more pressing national issues instead of turning his focus on Binay.
“Ang daming issues na dapat ginugulan ng oras ng Senado na hindi nila ginawa. Ang daming issues na hanggang ngayon ay wala pa ring kasagutan tulad ng kahirapan, gutom, kawalan ng trabaho. Imbes na harapin ito, mas gusto ni Senador Trillanes na ituloy ang paninira kay Vice President dahil tumaas ang rating ni Vice President Binay sa mga survey,” Salgado said.
“In a way, we pity Senator Trillanes. Despite hogging the headlines and airwaves for more than a year, the voting public still does not believe him fit to become Vice President. But that probably speaks more of the intellect of the voters,” he added.
