Makati Mayor Junjun Binay temporarily leaves post

Makati Mayor Junjun Binay on Wednesday temporarily stepped down from office pursuant to the six-month preventive suspension order issued by the Office of the Ombudsman earlier this week.
In a statement read before his supporters at the Makati City Hall, Binay also apologized for the tension that erupted there on Tuesday as representatives from the Department of Interior and Local Government were serving the suspension order.
At least eight people were hurt in the scuffle.

“Hindi ko na kayang tiisin na may masasaktan pa … kaya ako’y pansamantalang bababa sa aking puwesto. Pero hindi pa tapos ang laban,” Binay said.
Binay decided to temporarily leave his post after failing to get a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Court of Appeals.
“Hindi pa tayo nabibigyan ng CA ng TRO at writ of injunction pero hindi naman dine-deny ng CA,” he added.
Addressing this supporters who had gathered there since Monday, Binay said: “Nais ko pong ipaabot sa inyo ang aking taus-pusong pasasalamat na kahit umaraw, umulan, kahit hindi po lumalabas na tayo ay sinasaktan ng mga pulis dito, nagpapasalamat ako na nandiyan po kayo. Nais ko magpasalamat. Tayo ay lumalaban sa maling pinapairal sa lungsod.”
Roxas thanks Junjun
In a short statement, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas thanked Binay for making the decision to step down.
“Masaya ako [na] nanaig at nangibabaw ang batas sa araw na ito. Nagpapasalamat ako kay Mayor Junjun Binay sa pagtugon sa aming panawagan na sundin ang batas,” Roxas said.
“Makakaasa po kayo na magbabalik na sa normal ang operasyon ng Makati City Hall at magpapatuloy na ang pagbibigay ng serbisyo sa mamamayan ng Makati,” he added.
Earlier, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales maintained that the issuance of the suspension order against Binay and 14 other officials of the city government was in accordance with the law and not due to any political pressure from the administration as alleged by Binay’s camp.
The camp of Mayor Binay earlier asked the Court of Appeals to issue a temporary restraining order against the second suspension order issued by the Ombudsman in nearly four months.