Senate hearing on Binay case should be last – Koko

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III wants tomorrow’s  Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing on the alleged anomalies involving Vice President Jejomar Binay and his family to be the last. 

Pimentel said the hearing, which would be the 25th conducted since August 2014, would take up all of the remaining issues that have been left pending since the last hearing held in August 2015.

 “It will be like wrapping up. We will pick up all of the loose ends so if there is still evidence that has yet to be submitted, it can be done there formally,” Pimentel said over dwIZ radio.

 He reiterated that the hearing was supposed to be held in October or November 2015 but this had to be deferred because of deliberations on the 2016 General Appropriations Act.

 The Vice President was accused of involvement in the alleged overpriced construction of Makati City Hall Building II and the Makati Science High School when he was mayor of Makati. He and his family were also accused of having ill-gotten properties in Cavite.

The Binays have repeatedly denied the accusations, saying they don’t expect to get a fair judgment from the Senate.

Pimentel would ask Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, author of the resolution that paved the way for the inquiry, if he would agree to forgo with the other issues previously included in the matters to be taken up during the hearing so that the subcommittee could conclude the proceedings.

 One particular issue that Trillanes said he would like to take up was the construction of the main city hall building of Makati City.

 “I will ask Senator Trillanes on Monday and if he has no objections then we can terminate the hearings on Tuesday,” Pimentel said.

If Trillanes agrees, then Pimentel said that he would manifest this on Tuesday and formalize conclusion of the inquiry.

 During the hearing, Pimentel said he would also get an update from the Senate sergeant-at-arms regarding the arrest orders issued against several individuals with alleged links to Binay.

 The arrest orders were issued because of the failure by these personalities to heed the subpoenas issued by the Senate for them to attend the hearings.

 Pimentel said the assumption was that they could not yet be located and if that was the case then the hearings would still be closed as planned. But another hearing could be held any time that any of those involved are arrested so that they could provide their testimonies. – With Edu Punay