Although Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is keeping mum on the new allegations of corruption he claims to have against Vice President Jejomar Binay, Makati City Rep. Mar-len Abigail Binay has taken it upon herself to explain what she thinks will be tackled at the resumption of the Senate’s hearing against her father Monday— her parents’ wealth.
In a statement, Rep. Binay said her family can fully account for the P254 million in bank deposits that the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) claims her father had accumulated from 2007 to 2014.
She said a study of the the cash flow statements of the vice president and his wife, former Makati Mayor Elenita Binay, will show they have accumulated P630.9 million over the past 27 years.
Of this amount, over P330 million came from JCB Farms, a piggery business which the vice president started in 1994 with a P400,000 capital while P14 million came from his salaries as a public official from 1986 to 2013, Rep. Binay said.
In addition, the vice president had collected more than P4 million in professional fees from his law practice while his wife earned more than P49 million from her flower shop business, Blooms and Bouquets.
Also included in the cash flow is over P13 million in excess campaign contributions of the vice president, which his daughter said he disclosed in the Statement of Contribution and Expenditures he filed with the Commission on Elections.
Rep. Binay said her father had disposed of his business interests for a profit in JCB Farms, as well as his investments in shares of stocks, following his victory in the 2010 national elections.
Sources of wealth can be verified
The lawmaker said her parents’ wealth and their sources can be verified in the annual Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) and income tax returns (ITR) they have filed over the years.
“These and other official documents, such as the Statement of Contribution and Expenditure filed with the Comelec after elections, can clearly show that their earnings were made through honest means,” she said.
A computation of the figures Rep. Binay provided, however, yielded only P410 million or P220.9 million short of the wealth she said were generated by her parents.
He had invited detained real estate developer Delfin Lee to testify against the vice president but a Pampanga court quickly barred the businessman from appearing at the probe.
Nevertheless, the senator said the Senate hearings will contiue despite Lee’s absence as the businessman has designated his lawyer to read a prepared statement on his behalf.
Contempt charges vs. Trillanes
Aside from explaining the sources of her parents’ wealth, the Makati representative said her family plans to file contempt charges against Trillanes for accusing her father’s camp of bribing justices of the Court of Appeals to stop the enforcement of the suspension order against Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay.
The lawmaker challenged Trillanes to show credible evidence that her father bribed the CA magistrates at Monday’s hearing, noting that the senator has already gained a reputation for announcing “explosive” revelations against her father that eventually turn out to be duds or unsupported by compelling proof.
“Senator Trillanes is now destroying the reputation and integrity of an institution. Hindi biro-biro ang ginagawa nya. Dapat ang ipakita nya yung patunay na hindi dinuktor at pang-media lang,” she said.
The Senate hearings were initially meant to investigate the alleged overpricing but has since expanded to include other allegations of corruptions against the Binays.
The family has maintained that the allegations are motivated by politics. — Xianne Arcangel/JDS, GMA News
