VP Binay, mayor-son hit, defended over Makati ‘mess’ in Senate hearing

PASAY CITY – Vice President Jejomar Binay and his son, incumbent Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay, were “exposed” anew for alleged anomalous transactions in the city, including a reportedly overpriced Makati City Hall annex building.
The Binays, however, stood their ground on the matter, saying the transactions were above board.
This as technical officials of the Commission on Audit who had looked into the Makati City Hall project stood firm on their earlier assessment that there was no basis to say there was overpricing in the project in the presence of COA Chair Grace Pulido-Tan.
Testifying under oath before a subcommittee chaired by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, Engr. Roldan Menciano said: “In this case, based on the plans, based on our review, we find nothing (to determine overprice).”
Menciano is among several technical audit personnel of CoA who reviewed and evaluated the construction of the Makati City Hall parking building, specifically phases 3 and 4 of the five-phase project.

Two private citizens had earlier accused the past and present City Hall administrations – Vice President Jejomar Binay and his son, now Mayor Junjun Binay – of plunder for allegedly allowing the project cost to balloon from P1.2 billion to P2.7 billion.
Similar claims (of no basis for overprice) were made Tuesday before the sub-committee in their respective testimonies by the rest of the technical audit personnel who handled various stages of the project, undertaken from 2009 to May 2013.
“Kung pagbabasehan po yung plano, kung ano yung quantities required as per plan, wala naman problema. Based on plans, gumawa kami ng history, wala kaming nakitang problema as far as phases 1 and 2 are concerned,” said one of the technical experts from CoA who evaluated the project based on the so-called specifications of the project. He added that the building conformed to the requirements in the plan.
The same findings were arrived at by another technical audit team member who reviewed the audit work of three technical audit specialists on phase 5 of the project.
“Ang naging findings sa review, it’s within the allowable limit of variance as per COA resolution 91-52 (providing guidelines on the determination of overpricing of bidded infrastructure contracts),” CoA Engr. Flora Ruiz said, in response to a query from acting Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III.
“What transpired at the Senate, particularly the baseless allegations of Mr. Mercado who ran and lost in 2010 against Mayor Junjun Binay and plans to run again, are part of the script of our political opponents,” Binay said.
“All that Mr. Mercado said are lies. He has been making these baseless allegations since 2010 when he ran and lost. The people of Makati know him as a liar and fabricator of stories,” Binay added.
Binay said that the campaign of lies and vilification against him and his family will intensify.
Binay added: “If Mr. Mercado admitted that he received kickbacks from the Makati Bldg 2 project, it is only right that he be charged by the authorities. Nevertheless, Mr. Mercado conceded that his accusations against me are mere conjecture and speculation.”
“But in the face of Mr. Mercado’s admission that he pocketed money from the project, some senators wish to coddle and protect him. This saddens me,” he said.

“The Senate is being used to malign my name and that of my family’s to advance personal ambition. Some of these senators have revealed their ambition to run in 2016, especially for the presidency and vice presidency. This is why they have gone full throttle in their attempts to malign me,” the vice president pointed out.

“Until now, the findings of COA that there is no overpricing have not been disputed. This has again been attested to by technical audit specialists when they testified that the price of the project was reasonable,” he said.

“I swear by God and the people that I have not received nor asked money for this project or any other project in Makati,” he said.

“My countrymen, I have been closely observing the proceedings at the Senate. By now it is clear that the investigation will never be fair and impartial. Even before the investigation some senators have already passed judgment based on the mere say-so of our opponents and without any shred of concrete evidence presented. One of them even admitted that the investigation was due to my plans to run for president. It is therefore clear that the motive is politics,” he said.

“To my countrymen, rest assured that I will answer all these baseless allegations point for point,” he said .” You may also rest assured that whatever baseless allegations they make, I shall continue serving you and promoting programs that will improve your lives,” he added.
At the resumption of the Senate hearing on the alleged anomalies in Makati, Binay’s former ally, former Makati vice mayor Ernesto Mercado accused the elder Binay of benefiting from the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall annex or parking building.
In his testimony before the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, Mercado said the project started in 2007, with a total cost of only P1.2 billion,but has ballooned to more than P2 billion.
The former vice mayor admitted that he had received kickbacks from the project, specifically in the first two phases, which were implemented when he was still vice mayor.
Asked if Binay profited from the project, Mercado said he benefitted from it as vice mayor, adding that if he benefit, he was certain that the former mayor also did.
“We in politics know the answer to that. If I benefited from this, it’s impossible that my mayor did not benefit from the project, too,” the former vice mayor said.
Pressed further by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III if he had personal knowledge about the Vice President benefiting from the project, Mercado said: “That is the policy in the city.”

The 10-story building, which has a basement level and a roof deck, was allegedly constructed at a cost of P2.7 billion.Mercado told reporters he does not have any document to support his accusations against Binay.
Lawyer Renato Bondal and Nicholas Enciso filed plunder charges against Binay, his son incumbent Mayor Junjun Binay and other officials of Makati City in relation to the construction of the building.

I have said from the start that the campaign of lies and vilification against me and my family will intensify.

What transpired at the senate, particularly the baseless allegations of Mr. Mercado who ran and lost in 2010 against Mayor Junjun Binay and plans to run again, are part of the script of our political opponents.

All that Mr. Mercado said are lies. He has been making these baseless allegations since 2010 when he ran and lost. The people of Makati know him as a liar and fabricator of stories.

If Mr. Mercado admitted that he received kickbacks from the Makati Bldg 2 project, it is only right that he be charged by the authorities. Nevertheless, Mr. Mercado conceded that his accusations against me are mere conjecture and speculation.

But in the face of Mr. Mercado’s admission that he pocketed money from the project, some senators wish to coddle and protect him.

This saddens me.

The Senate is being used to malign my name and that of my family’s to advance personal ambition. Some of these senators have revealed their ambition to run in 2016, especially for the presidency and vice presidency. This is why they have gone full throttle in their attempts to malign me.

Until now, the findings of COA that there is no overpricing have not been disputed. This has again been attested to by technical audit specialists when they testified that the price of the project was reasonable.

I swear by God and the people that I have not received nor asked money for this project or any other project in Makati.

My countrymen, I have been closely observing the proceedings at the Senate. By now it is clear that the investigation will never be fair and impartial. Even before the investigation some senators have already passed judgment based on the mere say-so of our opponents and without any shred of concrete evidence presented. One of them even admitted that the investigation was due to my plans to run for president. It is therefore clear that the motive is politics.

To my countrymen, rest assured that I will answer all these baseless allegations point for point.

You may also rest assured that whatever baseless allegations they make, I shall continue serving you and promoting programs that will improve your lives.