By Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino/Manila Times
Hundreds of supporters of the Binay family yesterday thronged the Makati City Hall grounds as the Office of the Ombudsman once again ordered the suspension of Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay.
Many were already at the City Hall compound hours before the ombudsman’s office made the order public at around 4pm. The space leading to the main entrance was packed after the announcement was made as more people came in shortly before a truck-load of policemen arrived purportedly to secure the area. A woman interviewed on radio said they were there to protect their mayor.
Process servers however, went to Binay’s residence and served the order.
“Despite efforts to personally serve the 12-page Joint Order, Mayor Binay and his office staff refused to receive a copy of the Joint Order and prevented the process servers to leave the Joint Order in his office. The process servers thereupon served a copy of the order in his residence,” a statement from the Ombudsman’s office read.
The order likewise directed the Department of the Interior and Local Government to implement the order. Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas said the DILG has received a copy of the order and he sees nothing irregular in it.
“This is a regular order. The Ombudsman regularly sends out a suspension order,” Roxas told reporters in Cebu.
The younger Binay — son of Jejomar Binay who was the city’s mayor since 1986 before his election as vice president in 2010 — was ordered suspended in connection with his supposed involvement in the alleged anomalous construction of the 10-storey Makati Science High School building. The project costs P1.2bn.
The mayor as well as several city officials are facing graft and other criminal and administrative complaints.
Also included in the suspension order were Assistant Department Head II Pio Kenneth Dasal, Department Head II Lorenza Amores, City Accountant III Leonila Querijero, Acting City Accountant Cecilio Lim, Department Head II Nelia Barlis, Engineering Assistant Norman Flores, Chief Administrative Officer Giovanni Condes, Administrative Officer V Ralph Liberato, Assistant Department Head II Ulysses Orienza, Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Secretariat Head Manolito Uyaco, Department Head II Gerardo San Gabriel, Accountant IV Raydes Pestaño, Department Head II Eleno Mendoza Jr and Department Head II Mario Badillo.
Jejomar Binay
