Sandigan urged to act on Binay case

Five Makati City-based organizations urged the Sandiganbayan yesterday to act swiftly and judiciously on the P232-million graft case filed against Makati City officials, led by Mayor Jejomar Binay and his wife Elenita.

Urban Poor Federation of Makati, the Union of Business and Professionals, Federation of Senior Citizens of Makati, Concerned Women of Makati and the Lakas ng Kabataan sa Makati said the country’s poor global ranking in terms of fighting corruption was due in large to public perception that prosecutors and courts have failed to catch big fish in its anti-graft campaign.

The Office of the Ombudsman had filed last week a case of graft against the Binays, four incumbent city officials and five private respondents in connection with the alleged anomalous purchase of office furniture and partitions for the new Makati City Hall from 1999 to 2001.

The case stemmed from a 2003 complaint filed by former Makati Vice Mayor Roberto Brillante based on a 2002 report by the Commission on Audit.

"One way that the Philippines can demonstrate its fresh resolve to rid its bureaucracy of crooks is to catch the big fishes, which means highly powerful and influential officials like Binay, who fancies himself as the lord of the country’s financial capital who is free to raid the city’s coffers for his and his favored clique’s profit," UBP president Napoleon Malimas said in a statement.