Senator Binay: Freeze order a ‘desperate’ political move

Sen. Nancy Binay. Photo courtesy of Binay’s official Facebook page.

MANILA – Senator Nancy Binay stated that the Court of Appeals (CA) order to freeze the bank accounts of her father Vice President Jejomar Binay, was a ‘desperate’ move of a political party.

“Siguro ang isang partido ay nanginginig na kasi ang pambato nila ay mababa pagdating sa survey….So desperate, ‘diba? (Maybe one party is anxious now because its candidate ranks low in the survey… So desperate, right?),” she told reporters, hinting to the ruling Liberal Party.

In the latest Pulse Asia survey on top presidential bets, Vice President Binay garnered 29 percent while LP’s Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II only got 6 percent.

Senator Binay asserted that the freeze order was a clear ‘harassment’ of the LP in their pre-campaign tactics for the 2016 national elections, believing that Roxas was behind the order.

“Nakakalungkot kasi ang AMLC has been abused para gipitin ang mga hindi kakampi ng isang partido at nakita naman natin iyan noong impeachment,” she said, referring to former chief justice Renato Corona’s impeachment.

(It’s saddening that the AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council) has been abused to pin down the opponents of one party and we have seen that in the previous impeachment.)

The CA issued the freeze order in connection with the initial investigation conducted and petition filed by the AMLC that showed large and frequent financial transactions on Vice President Binay’s accounts done since the Senate blue ribbon committee started the hearing on his case.

Aside from Vice President Binay’s bank accounts, also covered by the order were the accounts of her brother Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, her mother Elenita, and her father’s purported ‘dummies.’

Senator Binay, for their part, clarified that they were not going to waive bank secrecy rights to disprove corruption allegations against them as they were innocent and had nothing to hide.

“What for? ‘Di naman iyan magpo-prove whether we’re guilty or not (That won’t prove whether we’re guilty or not anyway),” she said.

Senator Binay also pointed out that the freeze order violated the confidentiality rules of the AMLC.

“It’s not a good sign sa banking industry natin ang mga ganung leakages (It’s not a good sign for our banking industry that there are those leakage),” she explained.

Furthermore, she explained that their bank records could be sought by matching the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) and records of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Makati Representative Abigail Binay earlier released a statement regarding the matter.

“Based on cash flow statements of the couple, over P330 million came from the JCB Farms, a piggery business he started in 1994; P14 million came from salaries from 1986 to 2013; more than P4 million from his professional fees as a lawyer; and more than P49 million from the flower shop business owned by Dr Elenita S. Binay (Blooms and Bouquet),” Representative she said.

“Also included in the cash flow is over P13 million in excess campaign contributions (SOCE) of the Vice President filed with the Commission on Elections,” she added.