Senate probe on Binay far from over

Senate Majority Floor Leader Alan Peter Cayetano. Photo courtesy of Cayetano’s Facebook page.

MANILA – Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Alan Peter Cayetano rejected Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s suggestion to end the senate hearing on the corruption allegations raised against Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Santiago earlier proposed that the committee end the current investigation and let the Office of the Ombudsman handle the case.

She also suggested that the Senate turn over the evidence it has so far to the Ombudsman, which is now conducting its own investigation over the plunder complaint against Binay over the allegedly overpriced Makati carpark building.

Cayateno however said that the senate hearings were just about halfway through the investigation.

“I respectfully disagree it’s time to wrap up the hearings because there are still many pieces of evidence to be gathered, and it’s the Makati city officials who are not submitting,” he said.

This is because they are also set to conduct an investigation on four other possibly overpriced buildings other than the Makati City Hall’s carpark and the Makati Science High School building, both worth P2.28 and P1.5 billion, respectively.

“What’s important is that it will show a pattern and it will show that if it can be done in Makati, it can be done with the rest of the country,” he said.

“Do we want other cities to learn you can overprice, and not be held liable?”he added.

Agreeing with Cayetano, Trillanes also said that the inquiry they are conducting will not impair that of the Ombudsman’s.

He added that they have already turned over all the evidence on the carpark issue.

“Therefore, the ongoing Senate investigation is not, in any way, delaying the cases filed with the Ombudsman,” Trillanes said.