Makati City Mayor Erwin “Junjun” Binay hears Mass along with his children before Senate representatives arrive to arrest him at Makati City Hall on Thursday. Mayor Binay was cited for contempt after failing to attend several hearings called by the Senate Blue Ribbon Sub-Committee regarding corruption issues in Makati. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) − The tandem of Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Gringo Honasan will bank on their track records to convince the people to vote for them in the May 2016 elections.
“Ako at si Vice President (Binay) may track record. Dapat naipakita mo na ‘yan dahil (noon) pa, ‘yung track record namin naipakita na,” Honasan said.
Binay and Honasan are running as presidential and vice presidential bets respectively of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), a coalition between the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban) and the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP).
“’Yung track record hindi pwedeng tapatan ‘yan ng pangako during the 90 days of campaign,” Honasan said, adding that the accusations hurled against them should be heard before the courts.
“’Yung kaso, sa korte ‘yan,” the senator said, referring to allegations of corruption against Binay and “pork barrel” scam against himself.
In June last year, the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee recommended the filing of plunder charges against Binay; his son Junjun, former Makati Mayor, as well as 10 others because of the alleged conspiracy to inflate the price of construction of Makati City Hall Building II.
The subcommittee claimed that the overpricing ranged from P1.124 billion to P1.389 billion — an act that constitutes plunder.
On the other hand, Honasan and eight other lawmakers faced graft raps in 2015 for allegedly allocating their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF, commonly known as “pork barrel”) to fund fake foundations allegedly owned by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.
However, Honasan said Binay has already proven himself not only as a VP but also as a longtime mayor of Makati.
Honasan also said he and Binay agreed that should the allegations against the vice president be proven true, he will let justice prevail.
As for himself, Honasan denied the allegations of the National Bureau of Investigation that he received P1.75 million in kickbacks.
Honasan said this is not true and he will not let his 42 years of public service go to waste for P1.75 million. (MNS)