Binay seeks new probe on Makati school case

MANILA, Philippines - The camp of former vice president Jejomar Binay yesterday slammed Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales over her supposedly hasty and biased probe on the alleged anomalies surrounding the construction of the P1.3-billion Makati Science High School building.

“In her haste to indict former vice president Jejomar Binay, the ombudsman committed the unforgivable act of denying him his right to answer the allegations against him,” Binay’s spokesman Joey Salgado said in a statement.

Salgado said Binay would move for the reinvestigation of the complaint as the ombudsman supposedly issued the resolution without seeking his affidavit.

In two separate resolutions dated Aug. 1 released to the media yesterday, Morales ordered the filing of four counts each of graft and three counts each of falsification of public documents against Binay and his son, former Makati mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr.

The ombudsman said the awarding of the P17.37-million architectural and engineering (A&E) design contract to Infiniti Architectural Works and the P1.33-billion construction contract to Hilmarc’s Construction Corp. were attended with several irregularities such as the resort to negotiated procurement instead of competitive bidding and the non-publication of the invitation to bid.

But Salgado said the ombudsman conducted its preliminary investigation on the matter during the respondents’ tenure in office and attendant immunity from suit.

Salgado also said the anti-graft body did not bother to get an official reply from Binay, even after he ended his term in July 2016.

“This is a clear denial of due process and a violation of constitutional rights. The ombudsman cannot claim to speak for rights and due process when she herself observes them selectively,” he said.

“VP Binay will definitely ask for a reinvestigation,” he added. 

Salgado claimed that the “hasty” resolution of the complaint only shows that Morales is letting her office be used by the previous administration in persecuting Binay and his family.

“This only proves our point: that even after the Liberal Party has ended its reign, the ombudsman continues to pursue the game plan against former VP Binay contained in the yellow playbook,” he said.

Salgado maintained that there was no irregularity the construction of the 10-story Makati Science High School building, contrary to the allegation of the Binays’ former ally, Renato Bondal, that the building was overpriced. 

“We would also like to stress that the resolutions issued by the ombudsman Thursday did not find any evidence of alleged overpricing in the construction of Makati Science High School,” he said.

“The indictments merely found alleged violations in the bidding process. These allegations, however, have been answered extensively by former mayor Junjun Binay but the ombudsman chose to disregard them,” he added. – With Elizabeth Marcelo