Makati mayor ready to face Senate probe on 12-storey city hall building

Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin ‘Junjun’ Binay. Photo courtesy of Junjun Binay’s Facebook page.

MANILA — Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay said on Monday the city government is ready to face a Senate investigation on the alleged overpricing of the construction of the Makati City Hall Building 2.

Binay issued the statement in reaction to a Senate Resolution filed by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV seeking a Senate investigation into the allegations.

“The Commission on Audit has already cleared the project of overpricing allegations in an intensive audit in February. The findings underscore our position from the start that these allegations by our political opponents do not have factual and legal basis. They were made as part of an organized demolition scheme against my father, Vice President Jejomar C. Binay,” the mayor said in statement.

Binay also expressed hope that the members of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee would remain impartial and non-partisan in conducting the investigation.

“We are hopeful that some senators, especially those who belong to the same parties as our local opponents in Makati, will set aside personal and political agendas during the hearing,” Binay said.

Earlier, the mayor cited a six-page memorandum report of the Commission on Audit (COA) that cleared the Makati City government of overpricing allegations as early as February of this year.

The audit report was in response to a letter written by Renato Bondal dated Jan. 10, 2014 asking the COA Makati auditor to explain the alleged discrepancy between the project cost and data from the National Statistics Office (NSO). Copies of the letter were sent to Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales and COA chair Grace Pulido-Tan who referred the letter to COA-National Capital Region.

In particular, the COA report said there was no basis for the claim of discrepancy between the project cost and statistics from the NSO cited by Bondal.

“The statistical data was derived from the copy of approved building permits being issued by building officials. Inquiry made from building officials disclosed that the building permits were based on the approved building standards and documentary requirements without evaluation of the construction cost,” the six-page memorandum report addressed to Director Carmelita Antasuda, COA-NCR local government sector head, said.

The report also said COA technical audit specialists (TAS) found the contract price “reasonable” and that, after checking previous audit reports from 2008 to 2010, found that these “did not disclose any adverse finding” on the said project.

“Thus it could it be construed that the payments were allowed in audit,” the report said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Binay also revealed that Bondal has started to go on a tour of key cities in the Visayas, including Cebu and Iloilo, “to spread lies against the Vice President.”

The mayor also said they expect more of these baseless accusations in the coming weeks as political detractors will be filing complaints on other programs and projects of the city government.

“We are ready to face these allegations. All these projects have passed COA scrutiny but that will not prevent our detractors from proceeding with their demolition campaign,” he said.

“Our political opponents are desperately grasping at straws, and are intent on destroying our credibility through these malicious, false and baseless accusations. But we have nothing to hide. The building was constructed in accordance with the government procurement laws and processes, and we trust that all relevant transactions will bear close scrutiny,” Binay said.