Cayetano urges Makati building inspection, hits Rep. Binay's 'Thursday Club'

MANILA, Philippines - Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano called on the media and the rest of the Filipino public to do an ocular inspection of the allegedly overpriced Makati parking building to determine for themselves if the structure is indeed worth the taxpayers' money.

At the same time, Cayetano said the P2.3-billion Makati parking touted as a "world-class building" will end up as a "world-class palusot" if Vice President Jejomar Binay would refuse to appear in the Tuesday hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee.

Cayetano said Vice President Binay as well as his son, incumbent Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, should also welcome an ocular inspection of the 11-storey Makati parking building, the subject of plunder and graft charges filed against them.

"I think the ocular inspection would be good because we've been dealing with pictures from the outside pero hindi natin nakikita yung building talaga eh. Hindi pwede magsinungaling ang litrato at ang TV. Tao na rin ang huhusga kung ito ay world-class building o world-class palusot," the senator said.

"Asking the hard questions is not being a bully. I can assure the Vice President that he will be treated well."

"Pero hindi ang issue ay kung haharap si Vice President o hindi. Ang issue, Mr. Vice President, bakit ganun ang presyo ng building? At kung kayo ba ay naging presidente, ganyan ba, bawal magtanong sa inyo?" he said.

Cayetano also dared Binay to initiate a Senate investigation against him over the complaint filed by Makati congresswoman Abby Binay's Thursday Club.

"Yung sinasabi na hindi na kami iimbestigahan eh baliktad dapat, imbestigahan ninyo kami kasi madali namin mapapatunayan na kayo din ang nagpakana nung sa amin at minanipulate even yung amount kasi ang gusto nilang headline ay plunder," he said.

Cayetano said Rep. Abby Binay holds social gatherings in her Makati home for some business associates and her lawyer friends every Thursday night. Always present in these gatherings are her law school classmates, Rod Vera and Fhilip Sawali, the same complainants in the malicious charges filed against Cayetano and his wife, Mayor Lani Cayetano.

"Members ng Thursday Club 'yan ni Congresswoman Abby Binay. Every Thursday night, kasama yung mga kaibigan, konting business associates, meron sa bahay nila may kainan, mahjong, may poker. Yung dalawang abogado na yan kaklase niya ay palaging kasama dyan," the senator said.

He added that Vera, whom he labeled as an attack dog of Binay, had also protested the appointment of Al Parreno as Comelec commissioner over his close ties with the Liberal Party and Secretary Mar Roxas.