VP Binay files P200-M damage suit vs. Trillanes, Cayetano, Mercado

Published July 20, 2015 11:36am

(Updated 4:42 p.m.) Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday filed a P200-million damage suit arising from alleged libelous statements against Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Alan Peter Cayetano; Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales; former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado; and eight others.

The complaint was filed before the Makati Regional Trial Court.

Also included as defendants were Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice; Atty. Julia Bacay Abad, executive director of the Anti-Money Laudering Council (AMLC); Mario Hechanova; Renato Bondal; Nicolas Enciso IV; Philippine Daily Inquirer; Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas head Amando Tetangco Jr.; Securities and Exchange Commission chief Teresita Herbosa and Insurance Commissioner Emmanuel Dooc.

In his complaint, Binay accused the 12 defendants, allegedly motivated by political ambitions, disdain and personal animosity towards him, and or greed for power and money, colluded to malign his name and reputation to force him not to run in the 2016 presidential elections.

“(Binay’s) name and reputation will be so blackened from the baseless and fabricated accusations against him that he will lose the trust and confidence of the voters in the next presidential elections,” he said.

He said there was a well-funded and well-orchestrated campaign to maliciously accuse him of crimes and defects.

“Worse, the defendants, acting in concern, have caused much publicity of these false and baseless accusations—precisely to malign and discredit (Binay) before the public for the upcoming May 2016 elections,” he said.

Binay claimed that Cayetano, Trillanes, and Erice were designated as talking heads or attack dogs to publicly persecute him while Mercado, Hechanova, Bondal, and Encisco or the Mercado grpup are allegedly the paid witnesses against him.

On the other hand, he said the Inquirer was a “biased media outlet” while Tetangco, Herbosa, Dooc, Abad, and Carpio-Morales were designated as “government inquisitors” tasked to undertake a general fishing expedition using government resources against him.

He said Tetangco, Herbosa, Dooc, and Abad are members of the Anti-Money Laundering Council tasked to illegally examine his bank accounts to make it appear that he is engaged in illegal activities such as graft and corruption and money laundering and release the AMLC report to Cayetano for maximum media mileage.

He said Tetangco and Herbosa have direct links with high ranking members of the administration’s Liberal Party or its legal counsel.

Carpio-Morales, on the other hand, was tasked to use her office in conducting a preliminary investigation on criminal complaint filed against him.

Binay also enumerated the supposed personal motives of the defendants against him.

He said that Cayetano fears that if he will be elected President, the primary and biggest source of revenues for Taguig City will be lost. The cities of Makati and Taguig are in a legal battle over the jurisdiction of Fort Bonifacio.

Trillanes, on the other hand, has publicly admitted his deep and personal animosity against Binay when the latter allegedly backed out of his commitment to join the rebellion against then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2007. The supposed rebellion failed due to lack of public support.

Binay said that Mercado, Hechanova, Bondal, and Enciso, out of spite against him and his family, have consistently maligned him.

He also said that there was an orchestrated persecution in motion which started with the Mercado group’s testimony in the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee. This was followed by the alleged malicious statements of Cayetano, Trillanes, and Erice and then the participation of AMLC and Ombusman in the investigation against him.