Senate panel orders detention of Binay son, 5 others

MANILA, Philippines - The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Monday cited Makati Mayor Erwin Binay and five others in contempt for their refusal to attend the hearings on the corruption allegations against the Binays.

During a committee meeting, Blue Ribbon Committee chair Teofisto Guingona III approved the recommendation of Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III to cite Binay and the five others in contempt.

Apart from the Makati mayor, those cited in contempt were Eleno Mendoza, Eduviges Baloloy, Marjorie de Veyra, Line dela Peña and Bernadette Portollano.

"The persons so named are hereby cited in contempt and the (Senate) Sergeant at Arms is hereby directed to serve the detention order and coordinate if need be, with the Philippine National Police," Guingona said during the televised meeting.

Baloloy is said to be one of the secretaries of Vice President Jejomar Binay when he was still mayor of Makati and allegedly handled several of the financial transactions of Binay.

De Veyra is the former city administrator and social welfare department head of Makati while Mendoza is the incumbent city administrator.

Dela Peña is the assistant city engineer while Portollano is corporate secretary of OMNI Security, which is allegedly owned by the vice president.

Guingona did not cite in contempt Tomas Lopez, board member of Pag-Ibig Fund and president of the University of Makati.

This developed after Lopez submitted a letter expressing his intent to attend the next Senate hearing.

The Blue Ribbon subcommittee is investigating the allegedly overpriced construction of the Makati City Hall II parking building and other anomalies involving the Binays.

The younger Binay attended only one of the 13 Senate hearings and did not heed the summons of the Blue Ribbon subcommittee. His father also rejected an invitation from the Senate body.

On Friday, Guingona said the mother committee will not tolerate Binay and the Makati officials' refusal to attend the hearings.

Read: Final warning given to Binay son

In a statement following Guingona's final warning, the younger Binay demanded due process and fair treatment.

"If you may recall, I appeared before the sub-committee and answered the questions from the senators for six hours. However, I was either cut off or denied the chance to reply. The senators simply wanted to humiliate me," he said.

He also claimed that the Blue Ribbon subcommitteehas not taken any action to discipline other witnesses.

The Binays have belied all the allegations against them and have maintained that the Senate probe is only aimed at derailing the Vice President's 2016 bid.

Related: Binay may no longer run for president in 2016 - Trillanes