Vice President Jejomar Binay should not hide behind secrecy and confidentiality rules on bank deposits and instead should come clean.
Sen. Francis Escudero said the Court of Appeals (CA) order, issued on Monday without a hearing upon the petition of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), to freeze the bank accounts of Binay in connection with corruption allegations showed that there was 鈥減rima facie鈥� evidence of wrongdoing.
鈥淭his is not a simple allegation involving politics, for me, because a government agency and a court were now involved here where things should be faced and explained. One can no longer hide and say this was simply politics and related to 2016,鈥� Escudero told reporters.
In a text message to reporters, Escudero said that Binay, who is seeking the presidency next year, was now facing a 鈥渟erious accusation that he should answer and address squarely.鈥�
鈥淗e should no longer ignore nor sweep this under the rug. Neither should he hide behind secrecy/confidential rules on AMLC/bank deposits. He owes the people nothing less,鈥� said the senator, a former ally of Binay.
Escudero said Binay鈥檚 camp could still file a motion for reconsideration in the CA or go straight to the Supreme Court to stop the freeze order.
Allegations validated
After 20 hearings and counting, the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee members felt vindicated by the CA鈥檚 move.
鈥淟et us give credit where credit is due,鈥� Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said in a phone interview. 鈥淏ecause of the subcommittee hearings, aside from the findings of the subcommittee itself which will be contained in a report, what has happened?鈥�
He enumerated the following accomplishments:
The Office of the Ombudsman obtained documents from the hearings on the corruption complaint against Binay for the alleged overpricing of the Makati City Hall Building II when he was mayor.
The Ombudsman was conducting the preliminary investigation on the complaint after a panel of its investigators recommended that Binay and other Makati officials be charged for alleged irregularities in the building construction.
The Ombudsman had ordered the suspension of Mayor Jejomar Erwin 鈥淛unjun鈥� Binay Jr. and other Makati City officials, although the CA later issued an injunction against it.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue has filed a tax evasion case against businessman Antonio Tiu, who claimed ownership of a Batangas estate allegedly funded by the kickbacks to Binay.
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who initiated the investigations, said the freeze order was 鈥渁nother validation of the corruption allegations鈥� against him.
鈥淚鈥檓 just curious to find out how his spokespersons would choke on their explanations on this one,鈥� Trillanes said.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda declined to comment on the CA order.
Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. dismissed as 鈥渦nfounded鈥� claims Malaca帽ang was behind the leak to the media of the CA order.
Face the music
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. likewise shrugged off allegations by the Binay camp that the Liberal Party (LP) was behind the court鈥檚 freeze order and said the Vice President should face the accusations against him squarely.
鈥淎lthough I鈥檓 a vice chair of LP, I vehemently deny that because I know only the Court of Appeals can authorize anybody to open the bank accounts of anybody, whether a private or public official,鈥� Belmonte told reporters.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really to demean not only the CA but our whole legal system. That cannot be done because our legal system protects all this information,鈥� he said.
鈥楶补苍颈肠办颈苍驳鈥�
鈥淗e鈥檚 panicking. He should not be panicking. We should rely on our laws. All of those [bank accounts] are protected. If that can be done to him, then it can be done to all of us. And we have to rely on the strength of our laws,鈥� Belmonte said.
鈥淭his demolition job鈥攊t works both ways. That鈥檚 one of the hazards of a democracy鈥攁 lot of demolition jobs going back and forth, not just involving him. He also has demolition jobs, or his followers, but to say the law is being violated as part of a demolition job, I take exception to that,鈥� he said.
鈥淗e鈥檚 not facing the charges. In the Senate, he said [he鈥檇 answer] before the courts, but he didn鈥檛,鈥� Belmonte said.
Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice said Binay should resign from the Cabinet. 鈥�(Binay) has accused the LP of orchestrating this. If this is what he believes, he should resign so he can accuse the LP whose head is President Aquino who will answer the charges for us,鈥� said Erice, an LP stalwart, in a phone interview.鈥�With reports from Leila B. Salaverria, DJ Yap, Nikko Dizon and Gil C. Cabacungan