MEN IN BARONG Vice President Jejomar Binay and his son Makati Mayor Junjun Binay arrive with their bodyguards at the SMX Convention Center on Wednesday in Pasay City. JOAN BONDOC
Vice President Jejomar Binay on Wednesday warned Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV that he could be cited in contempt by the Court of Appeals for alleging that the Binay family had paid the court in exchange for stopping the Ombudsman鈥檚 preventive suspension of Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin 鈥淛unjun鈥� Binay Jr.
Binay instead challenged Trillanes to file graft and corruption charges against the appellate court justices whom the senator had allegedly said were fixed.
But Trillanes was unperturbed by Binay鈥檚 warning, saying that he intended to ask the Senate to investigate his new allegations against the Vice President.
鈥淲e will get to that,鈥� the senator said in a text message in reply to the query whether he would heed Binay鈥檚 challenge for him to file cases against those in the appellate court.
He said he would file a resolution in the Senate 鈥渃alling for an investigation about this.鈥�
鈥淓ventually, the Vice President and the justices in his pocket will go down,鈥� said Trillanes, who initiated the ongoing Senate inquiry into the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Building II that was built when the Vice President was mayor and was completed under his son鈥檚 term.
The senator said the other day that he received information that the Binays had spent 鈥渂ig money鈥� to get the appellate court injunction favoring the younger Binay.
鈥淥ne of these days, we will expose them: 鈥淲ho had fronted for them, who they had talked to, how much they paid. Eventually, we will bring that all out,鈥� Trillanes said on Tuesday.
The appellate court鈥檚 Sixth Division enjoined on April 6 the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of the Interior and Local Government from enforcing the Ombudsman鈥檚 March 10 order preventively suspending Mayor Binay for six months.
The court earlier issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the mayor鈥檚 suspension, a move that the Ombudsman claimed was moot as the suspension order had been served and Vice Mayor Romulo 鈥淜id鈥� Pe帽a Jr. had been sworn in as acting mayor on March 16.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales went to the Supreme Court on March 25 to assail the appellate court鈥檚 TRO.
Sweeping allegations
Speaking to reporters after attending the 19th National Social Welfare and Development Forum and General Assembly at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City yesterday, Binay dismissed as 鈥渦nfair鈥� and 鈥渟weeping鈥� Trillanes鈥� latest allegations against him and his family.
READ: Hearings to resume on 鈥榝amily syndicate鈥�
鈥淟et鈥檚 see what will be the consequences of what (Trillanes) said,鈥� he told reporters in Filipino.
Pressed by the Inquirer later if the 鈥渃onsequences鈥� he was referring to meant that the Court of Appeals could reprimand Trillanes for his statements, the Vice President said: 鈥淚 will tell you, it鈥檚 contemptuous.鈥�
Mayor Binay, who also attended the convention and spoke to reporters alongside his father, said it was 鈥渨rong鈥� for Trillanes to 鈥渢hreaten the judiciary.鈥�
鈥淲hy say that supporters should say prayers for Vice President Binay to win in the presidential election in 2016? It鈥檚 just unfounded, uncalled for. It negatively affects the image of senators if that鈥檚 how they speak,鈥� the younger Binay said.
The mayor agreed with his father that Trillanes should just file cases against those in the Court of Appeals.
Without proof
The Vice President said the senator should file charges so that those whom he maligned would be able to defend themselves. He also criticized Trillanes for making statements without proof, saying this seemed to be the latter鈥檚 style of doing things.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the Trillanes mark to cast aspersions on the integrity of others, but he could not prove them,鈥� he said.
Binay welcomed the Supreme Court鈥檚 decision to hold oral arguments on the petition filed by the Ombudsman against Mayor Binay鈥檚 plea in the appellate court to stop his suspension from office, saying this was part of the 鈥渞ule of law.鈥�
But the Vice President said he believed the oral arguments鈥� purpose was to see whether the Ombudsman could be cited in contempt because the principal issue concerning his son鈥檚 suspension had already been 鈥渄isposed by the CA.鈥�
Told that Pe帽a vowed he would not step down, Binay said the vice mayor should follow the rule of law.
Addressing the convention before the interview with reporters, Binay mentioned his son鈥檚 case in the appellate court by saying the mayor was 鈥渁bsolved鈥� by the appellate court.
Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio also defended the Court of Appeals from the allegations that the Binays 鈥渂ought鈥� an injunction from the tribunal to stop the Ombudsman from suspending the Makati mayor.
鈥淭he statements of Trillanes that the preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order in the case of Mayor Binay were a result of corruption in the judiciary is as reckless and irresponsible as it is baseless,鈥� Topacio said on Wednesday.
He said that as an officer of the court and member of the Philippine Bar, he was appalled that a senator would make such accusations that undermine the people鈥檚 faith in a coequal branch without so much as a rumor to go by on. With a report from Jerome Aning
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