Binay camp to take probe to SC

MANILA, Philippines - Lawyers are looking into ways to stop the Senate from continuing its probe into the corruption allegations against Vice President Jejomar Binay, including securing an injunction from the Supreme Court, United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) interim secretary general JV Bautista said yesterday.

He said they may seek intervention from the high court to stop the investigation of the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee over the alleged irregularities surrounding the Makati City Hall Building II.

“We are studying the possibility of elevating the matter to the SC,” Bautista told radio dzBB.

He said they expect Senators Aquilino Pimentel III, Alan Peter Cayetano, and Antonio Trillanes IV to continue to attack Binay in the Senate probe, adding the Binays will not receive fair treatment from the three senators.

“The Vice President doesn’t want to face the subcommittee hearing, which we dubbed as ‘circus-like’ probe, because of what the three senators are doing. We expect that they will allow those people who will say something bad against the Vice President while those who will defend him will be barred from talking,” Bautista said in Filipino.

“Now, the possibility of the Vice President attending the subcommittee probe is getting slim,” he added.

The Senate Blue Ribbon committee, chaired by Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, has invited Binay to attend its probe upon his request that he would only attend an investigation conducted by the mother committee.

Bautista said he and UNA interim president Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco tried to clarify the invitation for the Vice President during the subcommittee hearing last Oct. 30 but were thrown out of the Senate hall.

“We would like to ask the senators why they continue the subcommittee probe when the mother committee has already invited us,” Bautista said.

“The logical thing would have been for the subcommittee to defer its proceedings in deference to the mother committee,” he added.

Bautista said Guingona had requested Pimentel to give way to the mother committee hearing last Oct. 30. Pimentel, however, ignored the request.

He remarked that the three senators are “uncontrollable” by the chair of the mother committee.

“Last Oct. 30, they were like (Adolf) Hitler. When they saw us they turned off the microphone and they did not listen to us, we were thrown out by the Senate sergeant-at-arms. In the first place, Toby Tiangco should not be treated like that,” Bautista said.

“Based on our observation on the way things are done, the Vice President is not too keen in attending the (hearing of) the mother committee. Because apparently, Senator Guingona cannot constrain these out of control senators,” he said.

What Binay wants to avoid is for these scenarios to happen also in the mother committee, he said.

Binay’s spokesperson Joey Salgado said the Vice President is still willing to attend the Blue Ribbon probe as long as he is assured of fair and objective proceedings.

He said Binay has yet to decide whether to attend the Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing on Nov. 6.

“He is inclined to attend but let’s wait for his final decision,” Salgado said in a text message to The STAR.

Pimentel, for his part, said his colleague Sen. Nancy Binay could stand up to defend her father and their family during the hearing.

Pimentel said the invitation remains open for the younger Binay to explain their side on the issues of corruption.

Senator Binay decided to inhibit from the proceedings, while members of the Senate minority such as acting minority leader Vicente Sotto III and JV Ejercito chose not to attend the hearings.

Pimentel said there is no reason for the Senate subcommittee to stop its probe despite the ongoing probe by the Ombudsman and other government agencies into the allegations against Binay and his family.

“The Senate Blue Ribbon committee rules are clear: The pendency of the case shall not be a reason not to continue with any investigation,” Pimentel said. – With Christina Mendez