Binay-Peña rivalry heats up; bets trade allegations

I AM ONLY reaping what your family sowed.

This was Makati Mayor Romulo Peña’s answer to the criticisms hurled his way by Rep. Abby Binay, his main rival for the mayoralty in the May 9 elections.

In an interview during the proclamation rally of his party on Chino Roces Avenue last week, Peña admitted to shortcomings in services offered by the city, especially at the Ospital ng Makati (OsMak).

He stressed, however, that these were just “passed on” to him by the previous administration.

“But the hospital can cater to more people now. There are just problems there which I believe were intentionally created to make it appear that my leadership is not doing anything about those problems,” Peña said.

During her proclamation rally last week, Binay said that the eight-month-old leadership of Peña has not created a “Bagong Makati” but rather a “Bigong (failed)” Makati.

She claimed that during Peña’s watch, the OsMak started experiencing a lack in medical supply, its air conditioning units started to malfunction while some of its most competent doctors had threatened to quit.

Peña said that the hospital lacked medicine because too many residents from sister cities were given referrals by the Office of the Vice President to enjoy free medical services.

“That is an old problem. That is why we temporarily suspended the sister-cities agreement to focus on the residents of Makati,” he added.