Binay to cooperate in DOJ probe of corruption allegations

Vice President Jejomar Binay AFP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Since President Benigno Aquino III supports it, Vice President Jejomar Binay will cooperate in the investigation by the Department of Justice of the allegations of corruption against him when he was still mayor of Makati City, the Vice President’s spokesperson, Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla, has said.

But Remulla said on Sunday the camp of the Vice President has remained doubtful of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s jurisdiction over the corruption allegations against Binay.

For one, he said no criminal case has been filed against Binay.

“The DOJ can only intervene if there is a criminal investigation,” the Cavite governor said in a phone interview.

Likewise, he said there was no complainant against Binay in the DOJ.

“But if the President supports the investigation, then the Vice President will cooperate and he recognizes the President’s authority,” Remulla said.

He said the Binay camp hoped De Lima would “perform her mandate and oath to be impartial” in the investigation.

“We also have better chances of fairness and truth with Justice Secretary De Lima than the Senate subcommittee, which has been one-sided from the start,” Remulla said.

Palace officials defended on Saturday the decision of De Lima to investigate the alleged “systematic corruption” that happened under the term of Binay when he was still mayor of Makati City.

They said Malacañang supported the DOJ and other government agencies “for doing their job” and “carrying out their duty and their mandate under relevant laws.”

Binay’s camp earlier questioned the authority of De Lima to investigate Binay who was accused of allowing the rigging of city infrastructure projects and benefiting from kickbacks from favored contractors.

Binay was also accused of amassing unexplained wealth like his alleged ownership of a 350-hectare farm in Batangas province, dubbed by his critics as “Hacienda Binay.”

The Vice President has dismissed the allegations as political attacks by his detractors because he was the first to declare that he would run for president in 2016.

Binay himself wondered about De Lima’s “sudden interest” in the allegations against him that were first raised in the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee looking into the alleged overpriced of the Makati City Hall parking building, which was built when Binay was still mayor.

The Binay camp distanced itself on Sunday from former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado’s involvement in the construction of a P150-million hotel for the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) in 2009 allegedly in exchange for Binay’s support for Mercado’s 2010 mayoral bid.

At the same time, Binay’s camp turned the tables on Mercado for admitting to owning a construction company that built the BSP hotel in Los Baños, Laguna.

At that time, Binay was the BSP national president. He still is.

It said that during his term as vice mayor, the Mercado firm cornered over P1 billion in city infrastructure projects while keeping his ownership of the company secret.

In a statement, Remulla said the Binay camp would leave it to the BSP, owner of the BSP-International Makiling, to answer Mercado’s claim that he had advanced money for the hotel.

The hotel was constructed in late 2009, shortly before Mercado and Binay had a falling out that saw Binay pushing for his son, Jejomar Erwin, to run for mayor of Makati in 2009.

Mercado said he helped in the construction of the hotel but it cost only P60 million to 65 million, not P150 million.

Asked whether it was true that Mercado advanced the money in exchange for Binay’s support for his mayoral bid in 2010, Binay’s spokesperson Joey Salgado said this was “another lie.”

“In late 2009, Mr. Mercado had already announced his break with the Vice President,” Salgado said, adding it was the vice mayor who broke their political alliance, which prompted Binay to field his son for mayor.

“Why then would Mercado advance money when at that time he had already bolted the camp of the Vice President and joined the Nacionalista Party? This is no different from the baseless allegations he has been making in the Senate hearings,” Salgado said in a text message.

Remulla said they “(found) comfort in (Mercado’s) admission that he is an owner of a construction company named Twin Leaf Construction.”

“Twin Leaf was able to corner choice infrastructure projects in Makati during Mercado’s term as vice mayor,” Remulla said.

He said these projects totaled over P1 billion.

“But he kept his ownership of the firm secret, apparently known only to his protegés like Mario Hechanova whose office was in charge of vetting contractors,” Salgado said.

Like Mercado, Hechanova, who used to head the city’s general services department, has accused Binay of rigging city infrastructure projects when he was mayor in exchange for kickbacks.

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