Vice President Jejomar Binay (left) is given a tour of the Toledo copper mine in Toledo City, Cebu on Thursday, November 6. Binay did not attend the day’s Senate probe on the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Building II. He is in Cebu to attend the Philippine Scouting Centennial Jamboree and meet with local officials to check their housing programs. Also in photo is Adrian Ramos (right), COO of Carmen Mining Corp. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) — The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay on Friday said one of his accusers used “flawed logic and fuzzy math” in his allegation that the P1.33 billion Makati Science High School Building is overpriced.
Joey Salgado, head of the Office of the Vice President media affairs, said Bondal is the same person who perjured himself for claiming that birthday cakes given by Makati to senior citizens were overpriced at P1,000, only to admit later that the amount was just a “guess.”
Bondal on Thursday said the Makati Science High School Building is overpriced by as much as P862 million or 283 percent, making it the most expensive national high school building in the country.
Salgado, however, said Bondal “conveniently overlooks the fact that the total construction cost includes the cost of the school’s foundation, finishing, and facilities.”
“If we go by his fuzzy math, then all public school buildings are overpriced,” the spokesman said in a statement.
Salgado said Bondal had earlier cited data from the National Statistics Office (NSO) in claiming that Makati City Hall Building 2 was overpriced even if the NSO itself clarified that its data is based on building permit applications and not actual construction costs.
He said both the Makati City Hall Building 2 and Makati Science High School have passed reviews by the Commission on Audit.
“If Mr. Bondal and the Senate are confident in their latest allegations, then they should file a case before the courts,” he said.
Salgado also urged former Makati City general services department head Mario Hechanova to stop using the name of the late Makati City Engineer Nelson Morales in the Senate Blue Ribbon sub-committee hearings.
“The family and relatives of former City Engineer Nelson Morales are still grieving from his tragic death and Mr. Hechanova should spare them the agony of hearing the name of their lost kin being besmirched,” he said.
In his testimony, Hechanova explained that the bidding for the high school building was done the same day as the bidding for the Makati City Hall Building II, also known as the Makati parking building.
The winning bidder, Infiniti Architectural Firm, managed to submit a proposal the same day the invitation to bid was received. The firm submitted a bidding price of P17.25 million.
According to Hechanova, then-city Engineer Nelson Morales ordered him to make sure that Infiniti bags the consultancy contract.
”Ang totoo niyan, bago pa kami magpalabas ng imbitasyon, pinatawag na ako ni Engr. Morales at inabot na sa akin ang may proposal na, kasama doon ang Infiniti, na sabi niya doon dapat ma-award ang project,” Hechanova said.(MNS)