Binay village row not yet over – Cayetano

MANILA, Philippines - While the family of Vice President Jejomar Binay believes that the incident that took place between them and some security personnel of Dasmariñas Village in Makati City is behind them now, an administration senator said yesterday that the matter is far from over.

Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said that what took place at the exclusive village last Nov. 30 is not just a matter between the Binays and the private security personnel of the village but rather a public issue that might involve the future of the country.

 â€œI think this will be one of the biggest challenges at the end of this year and the start of next year, how President Aquino, how (DILG) Secretary (Manuel) Roxas and how Binay deals with the alleged abuse of his family and his son,” Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr., Cayetano said in a press briefing yesterday.

Cayetano said that the matter should not be treated by the Binays as a political issue or one that particularly targets their family.

He said that the incident has caught the attention of the public because of what they saw as an apparent abuse of the power of a government official or a family of influential political figures.

Cayetano said what bothered him in particular was the altercation that allegedly took place at the gate of the village where the aides of Binay Jr. were seen holding on to their firearms.

The guards were invited for questioning by the Makati police and their guns were taken for verification but returned two days later.

Take a break

According to Cayetano, the Vice President should at the very least direct his son to take a leave of absence to pave the way for an investigation either by the Department of the Interior and Local Government or the Department of Justice into the incident.

Cayetano cited a statement coming from the Vice President who said that his son deserved some courtesy as the incumbent mayor of the city.

“I am saddened by the statement of the VP that he should have been given courtesy. No amount of need of courtesy will justify your willingness to kill a person just because he did not give you courtesy. You can’t demand courtesy by the barrel of a gun,” Cayetano said.

“The issue is not because he is a Binay, the issue is the abuse. This is not the first time that something like this happened. I think the Binays are making too much about being a Binay,” he added.

The Vice President has stated early on that he intends to run for president in 2016 and his popularity as a politician has benefited his children Nancy Binay, who is now a senator; Abigail Binay, a second-term congresswoman of Makati; and Binay Jr., the mayor of the city.

Cayetano also belongs to a political clan that includes his sister Sen. Pia Cayetano, brother Lino, who is congressman of Taguig and his wife Laarni, the mayor of the city.

There is some degree of conflict between the Cayetanos and the Binays because of the dispute over the jurisdiction of a huge part of what is now known as the Bonifacio Global City.

Gatchalian defends Makati mayor

Binay Jr. yesterday found an ally in Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian following reports he allegedly hurled invectives at security guards of posh Dasmariñas Village who verified if the four-car convoy were indeed his.

In a statement, the spokesman of the administration-allied Nationalist People’s Coalition described the actions of the security guards as “disrespectful and uncalled for,” as he also reminded them that Dasmariñas Village is not an independent republic. 

The former Valenzuela congressman likewise highlighted the fact that it is also within the ambit of Binay’s powers, as local chief executive, to call the police when necessary. Police officers subsequently removed the barrier.

“If a mayor cannot enter or leave a property within the area of his jurisdiction because of supposed rules and regulations that were drawn and implemented by a group of private individuals, then this would surely diminish his effectiveness as the leader of his town or city,” Gatchalian stressed.

Ram Antonio, owner of the security agency, admitted later that there had been lapses in their operation when the village’s guards did not allow the mayor’s convoy to pass. He said his company has already apologized to the mayor.

“I have to explain that we have a standard operating procedure that we have to extend courtesy to three officials of government. That is the President, the Vice President, and the mayor of the municipality that we are covering,” Antonio said. – With Delon Porcalla, Paolo Romero, Jose Rodel Clapano