By Llanesca T Panti & Catherine S Valente/Manila Times
Some lawmakers at the House of Representatives and the ruling Liberal Party (LP) are not keen on pursuing moves to impeach Vice President Jejomar Binay, saying doing so, will just be a waste of time.
Iloilo Rep. Jerry Trenas, a member of LP, noted that the allegations hurled against Binay happened when he was Makati City mayor. Some critics of the Binay family have claimed that the Makati City Hall building 2, which was built when Binay was mayor, was overpriced.
The vice president and his son, incumbent Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr, face a plunder complaint at the Office of the Ombudsman for the allegedly overpriced P2.2bn building.
Complainants cited National Statistics Office data supposedly showing that the cost should have only been P245.6mn.
“We are all advocates of the law. There is one legal opinion that he’s still an impeachable officer, there is also another that the alleged offence was committed at the time he was not an impeachable officer,” Treñas said. Binay and his son, incumbent Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr, face a plunder complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman for the allegedly overpriced building.
The Binays have repeatedly denied the accusations made against them, saying they were all “politicised” and designed to malign them.
Trenas said impeaching the vice president would only be a waste of time. He added that Congress should focus on more important matters such as the budget measure, Bangsamoro basic law and freedom of information bill.
The Senate blue ribbon committee headed by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, had investigated the allegations that the Makati building was grossly overpriced.
Cayetano and Sen. Antonio Trillanes of the Nacionalista Party, who have hinted of seeking higher office in 2016, have been leading the building probe.
Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez agreed that the Senate probe is politically motivated since the issue was raised seven years after the building was constructed. “There is too much politics involved. There are proper forums to investigate the vice president if he indeed committed a crime. I’d rather that Congress and the Senate work on nation-building and inclusive growth,” Benitez stressed.
Rep. Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar and LP Secretary General Mel Senen Sarmiento agreed with Benitez.
“We don’t have time for political mudslinging. We are focused on the president’s projects, including the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, not politics,” Sarmiento said in a statement.