Senate war: Binay mulls ethics complaint vs Cayetano

MANILA, Philippines —  Sen. Nancy Binay is considering filing an ethics complaint against Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, citing his unruly behavior toward her that made her walk out in the middle of a committee hearing on Wednesday.

Binay yesterday said she would consult her legal team on her plan to file an ethics complaint against Cayetano for reportedly calling her a crazy rumormonger during Wednesday’s hearing of the accounts committee on the status of the construction of the New Senate Building.

Binay said she doesn’t feel an apology is forthcoming from her Senate-colleague judging from his demeanor and sexist remarks during the hearing.

Cayetano called Binay a “Marites” or rumormonger and crazy or “buwang” after she questioned Cayetano’s P23-billion price tag on the Senate’s new home in Taguig City.

“We don’t expect him to behave as such considering that he is among the most senior senators. His attitude is very unbecoming of a senator,” Binay said.

“If that’s how he challenges a woman into a fight, I guess we just have to manage our expectations from this senator,” she added.

Binay denied Cayetano’s accusation that she fed questions to the media in her radio interviews about the issue.

“He is accusing the media of being paid hacks. He owes the media an apology for that,” Binay said in Filipino.

Cayetano has yet to respond to the media’s request for comment on a possible ethics complaint against him.

The ethics committee chairman, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, lamented the nasty outcome of the hearing that was marred by the heated exchange between the two rival political scions of Makati and Taguig.

“I will deal with a (complaint) if it is referred to the ethics committee. My regret is I left the hearing early; it’s just that I had visitors from Baguio and I had to receive them yesterday,” Tolentino said. “It could have been prevented.”

Sen. Robinhood Padilla, who was present during the tense hearing, yesterday said the incident only showed that there is healthy debate in the upper chamber.

“It just became too personal. I hope they don’t make the issue too personal with the two of them coming from powerful families in Makati and Taguig,” Padilla said in Filipino in a chance interview.

P10.3 billion for fit-out

The controversial P10.3 billion added to the construction of the new Senate building in Taguig City would cover the fit-out or accessories of the offices of the 24 senators, an official of the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) told senators.

During the review of the new Senate building project by the Senate committee on accounts on Wednesday, Cayetano asked DPWH officials about the additional cost incurred in the construction of the Senate building.

Cayetano asked the DPWH officials about the construction of the new Senate building with Phase I for the core and shell: P8.9 billion, Phase II for the fit-out: P2.5 billion, and Phase III for the works to finish/complete: P10.33 billion. – Cecille Suerte Felipe