Binay a no-show

Vice President Jejomar Binay was a no-show at the hearing called by Senator T.G. Guingona last Thursday, in connection with Senate Resolution 906, a probe into the allegedly anomalous transactions involving billions of pesos in public funds, filed by Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

The Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee is conducting an investigation on the allegations of corruption against VP Binay particularly the alleged overpricing of the Makati City Hall Parking Building II and his alleged ownership of a property in Rosario, Batangas.

Binay said he has already been “prejudged” in the Senate hearing, which his allies had dismissed as a “kangaroo court,” and any explanation would be “useless.”  He said his critics who have testified before the Senate subcommittee have not presented evidence that would stand up in court. He described the allegations as part of a demolition job against him.

He said that fair play does not exist in the Senate hearings. Eleven hearings have been held so far.

United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) Interim President Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco and Interim Secretary General Atty. JV Bautista were not allowed to read Binay’s statement.

However, Tiangco said: “Definitely and clearly, the Senate probe is not in aid of legislation but in aid of demolition. There is no need for the Vice President to attend the Senate hearing even if it will be conducted by the Senate Blue Ribbon mother committee.”

Tiangco said that it is only the Office of the Ombudsman which is the proper venue for any investigation involving the Vice President if ever he would be summoned to answer the complaints filed against him.

Senatoriables

Senatorial aspirants have started to go around. Some have started their TV infomercial campaign, but as of now the list is quite short.

Among the senatoriables are Senator Ralph Recto, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino, former Senator Migz Zubiri, former Senator Dick Gordon, Congressmen Manny Pacquiao, Sherwin Gatchalian, Lito Atienza, Rodolfo Fariñas, Congresswoman Lani Mercado-Revilla, former Congressmenn Jack Enrile, and J.V. Bautista, Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) Chairman Persida Rueda-Acosta, Atty. Romulo Macalintal, actor Richard Gomez, and former Akbayan party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros.

Binay tops latest survey

Vice-President Jejomar Binay again topped the latest survey of 1,600 respondents in Metro Manila, with a 29.3 percent rating.

The survey was conducted in October 24-25 by Novo Trends PH, at the height of the Senate inquiry into the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall Parking Building II and the controversial Hacienda Binay in Nasugbu, Batangas.

Liberal Party (LP) presumptive candidate, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, was way down in seventh place, with only 3.4 percent.

Coming in second place was President Aquino, with 13.1 percent. In the third place was Senator Grace Poe, with 11.8 percent.

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago was in fourth, with 7.8 percent. Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was fifth, with 5.1 percent while Senator Francis Escudero was sixth, with 4.6 percent.

Roxas and Senator Alan Peter Cayetano were seventh, with 3.4 percent. Manny Villar was last, with 2.1 percent.

Professor Ramon Casiple, one of the founders of Novo Trends PH said the ratings of Vice-President Binay have already reached rock bottom.

Casiple said the prolonged Senate hearings is losing its political impact. People see that it is no longer in aid of legislation but in aid of political candidates.

Casiple further predicted that there will be little effect of the probe on Binay’s ratings until the end of the year.

18,000 dead?

Bayan Muna Representatives Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate filed a resolution seeking an investigation on the losses inflicted by Typhoon Yolanda in 171 towns.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Council (NDRRMC) stopped counting the dead after reaching 6,293, with another 1,785 missing.

Colmenares and Zarate said estimates by several organizations were higher, with as high as 18,000 dead claimed.

Chief Superintendent Elmer Soria estimated the death casualty at 10,000, for which he was relieved as Eastern Visayas regional police director.

There are reports that up to now bodies are still being recovered.

The Bayan Muna representatives also sought an investigation of the slow progress of rehabilitation effort despite tens of billions being released.

An ABS-CBN report said that in Tacloban, 500 families are still living in tents.

Another big shabu lab

After a two-month surveillance, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) raided a shabu laboratory in Camiling, Tarlac and confiscated P3-billion worth of shabu and modern shabu making machines.

Once again, six Chinese nationals were arrested. The chief of police of Camiling, Tarlac, Diosdado Lagasca, should be relieved. He should have known a big laboratory and warehouse was operating in his town.

Earlier, a big shabu laboratory was raided in San Fernando, Pampanga, wherein four Chinese nationals were arrested in two separate operations that yielded P7-billion worth of shabu.

The mayors and chiefs of police of towns surrounding Metro Manila should inspect all establishments newly established in their towns.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) should tighten inspection of Chinese nationals coming in. The two raids in Pampanga and Tarlac show how big drug lords are operating in the country.

Tidbits

Condolence to Sharon Cuneta, KC Concepcion, Senator Francis Pangilinan and other family members of Elaine Gamboa-Cuneta, who passed away last Wednesday.

Condolence too to Helen Gamboa-Sotto, sister of Elaine.