After Binay’s suspension, Makati City back to normal

Suspended Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay (left) with Acting Makati Mayor Romulo “Kid” Peña (Photo courtesy of Flickr/Romulo Peña)

MANILA – After Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay’s second suspension order has been served, Makati City is now back to business as usual with Makati Vice Mayor Romulo “Kid” Peña taking over the city’s top post.

On his first day as acting mayor, Peña opts to first visit several offices in the city hall to check that administrative operations and public services remain uninterrupted.

“My only appeal [to city hall heads and officials] is to cooperate with me because my only intention as acting mayor is to ensure that flow of basic services will continue,” Peña said in a Manila Bulletin report.

After making rounds in city hall offices, Peña signs several pending memorandums. He also orders city hall entrances to be opened. The city hall has then been back to normal.

The acting mayor vows to do field work and meet several department heads in the coming days. Several department officials have already paid courtesy calls on him.

Ground floor office

While temporarily occupying the city’s top post, Peña chooses to have his office located in the city hall’s ground floor. He has first set up a table and chair in the floor’s open area near the main entrance. Later on, he converts a room as his office.

“I want people who enter and go out of the city hall to see me at work,” he said, explaining why he holds office at the building’s ground floor.

“I’ve noticed some of the closed circuit television cameras were turned off, no one is monitoring my moves and it feels good,” he added.

Binay’s suspension

With regards to Binay, Peña hopes that he would get to talk to the suspended mayor.

“We (Binay and I) have not been in speaking terms but I am open to talk to him anytime if there can be any chance,” the acting mayor said.

Meanwhile, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) President Vicente Joyas claims that Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales may have prejudged Binay as evidences to corruption allegations against him have not yet been fully evaluated.

“How can Mayor Junjun Binay expect a fair judgment when Ombudsman Morales categorically pronounced him guilty even before the evidence are carefully evaluated?” he questioned.

“That is a clear case of prejudgment. A judge is not allowed to discuss in public the merits of the cases pending before him or her. Ombudsman Morales is exercising a quasi-judicial function, necessarily the rule must apply to her,” he added.