“ONE libel suit [and] he calls it harassment. One year and 25 hearings against my family, he calls it ‘searching for truth.’”
That was how Senator Nancy Binay taunted Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Twitter on Tuesday after a Makati Court issued a warrant of arrest against the latter in connection with the libel case filed by Binay’s younger brother, dismissed Makati Mayor Junjun Binay.
Binay’s remark was an apparent reference to Trillanes, which she later confirmed when interviewed by Senate reporters.
“Basta kami yung hearing dito sa Senate, what, one year and seven months and then 25 hearings? Tapos isang libel case e parang aping- api na s’ya,” she said, referring to the Senate investigation initiated by Trillanes on the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall 2 parking building against her brother, and father, Vice President Jejomar Binay.
Asked if the arrest warrant for Trillanes was his “karma,” Senator Binay said her family was just simply following the process and that they would let the court to decide on the libel case against him.
She also shrugged off Trillanes’ statement that the libel case would not stop him from exposing the alleged anomalies of the Binay family, saying she respects the decision of her colleague.
“Basta kami we already did (the) remedy on our part which is to file cases. Nakita naman natin the mere fact na na-issue-han sya ng warrant of arrest, may basehan yung kaso na sinampa sa kanya,” she said.
She, however, expressed hope that Trillanes would not use the Senate again to attack her family.
When asked if they are ready to file another case against Trillanes if he continues to malign her family, Senator Binay said: “Siguro (maybe).”
“Sana huwag n’yang gamitin yung Senado kasi ’di ba ang dami n’yang sinabi laban sa pamilya ko but dito nya sa Senado ginawa kaya may immunity from suit? But du’n sa kaso na ’yun he did t it outside of the Senate kaya nakapag-file kami ng kaso,” she said.
Told that Trillanes was abroad when the warrant of arrest was issued against him, the lady senator said: “Technically, he’s a fugitive, tama ba?”
“’Di ba may pending warrant of arrest s’ya tapos andun s’ya sa Amerika? So I guess maganda pagbalik n’ya tanong n’yo na lang sa kanya kung bakit sya lumipad papuntang (Amerika),” she further said.