Binay hits Cayetano on Dasma Village row

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Nancy Binay hit back at her colleague, Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, yesterday for using the Dasmariñas Village incident last November to advance his political aspirations.

In a statement, Binay expressed her disappointment over Cayetano for not even bothering to ask her about the incident before commenting about it in the media.

Binay, who was with her younger brother, Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. when the incident took place on Nov. 30, said Cayetano should have tried to find out all the facts of the story before issuing his statements about it.

“As a colleague, he could have talked to me first so he would know the truth,” Binay said.

Last Friday, Cayetano slammed what he said was an apparent abuse of power on the part of the Binays when they figured in an altercation with security guards of the exclusive Dasmariñas Village in Makati City just before midnight last Nov. 30.

A closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera video showed the mayor with his security personnel outside his vehicle in what appeared to be a heated exchange with the guards.

Two of the mayor’s aides were seen in the video holding their firearms during the incident.

The senator said she has tried to avoid speaking out on various issues that could be viewed as political maneuvering on the part of her family.

“I kept my peace at the height of the dispute between Makati and Taguig over Fort Bonifacio so as not to raise tensions,” Binay said, referring to the dispute over jurisdiction of the Bonifacio Global City between the two local government units.

“I kept quiet when employees of Taguig were seen on CCTV entering McKinley Road in Makati acting in an aggressive manner,” she added.

The Binays have long been the top political figures in Makati City with Vice President Jejomar Binay being the mayor for several decades.

Cayetano, on the other hand, has his wife Laarni Cayetano as the mayor of Taguig City while his younger brother Lino Cayetano is the incumbent congressman of the city.

Binay said that unlike Cayetano, she was not the type who would comment on every issue that involves Makati City or her family because she does not want to be accused of “politicking or riding on an issue.”

“I am not one who comments on every issue just to get publicity and to advance any political plans. At hindi ko ugaling manira ng ibang tao para lang malagay sa media (And it is not my habit to malign other people just to appear on media),” Binay said.

Just like what she stated the other day when the story first broke out, Binay said that three weeks have passed since the incident and all the parties involved have already moved on.

“For us, the matter is over. But it seems that there are some who are intent on reviving the issue,” Binay said in Filipino.

“Just the same, I look forward to celebrating the season of love and understanding with my family,” she added.