Palace upholds DOJ’s probe of Makati Building II

By ANDREO CALONZO, GMA News

Published October 13, 2014 2:28pm

Malacañang on Monday upheld the Department of Justice's mandate to investigate the alleged overpricing in the construction of the P2.7-billion Makati City Hall Building II during the mayoralty of opposition leader Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Secretary Edwin Lacierda, President Benigno Aquino III's spokesman, said the Vice President's camp was wrong in saying that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima violated the 1987 Constitution when she ordered the hunt for Binay's alleged dummies.

"It is not correct to say that it violates the separation of branches principle. The Senate has asked the DOJ and the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] to investigate previously, so what is wrong with that?" the President's spokesman told reporters during the briefing.

Lacierda added that it was well within the mandate of the DOJ to aid in Senate investigations.

"Why was there an involvement of the DOJ? It wasn't because Secretary de Lima motu propio or on her own volition decided to investigate. That is not correct," he said.

Lacierda said that the DOJ could assist in finding the truth behind the alleged corruption in Makati.

"Wouldn't they be also interested in finding out what the truth is?" Lacierda said of Binay's camp.

De Lima last week said she would meet with whistleblowers in the alleged overpricing of the Makati City Hall Building II to determine if the NBI should push ahead with its probe on the controversy.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee earlier asked the NBI to help in locating more witnesses in the controversy, such as Gerardo Limlingan, Binay’s alleged dummy and finance officer.

Members of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) over the weekend questioned the DOJ and NBI's involvement in the Makati City Hall Building probe, describing it as an indication of partisanship in the government.

UNA interim Secretary-General JV Bautista said the NBI's involvement in the hunt for alleged Binay's dummies would be "an undue interference by the executive branch on a purely legislative exercise."

Binay is facing plunder charges filed by private individuals before the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged anomalies in the construction of the P2.7-billion Makati City Hall Building II. The construction of the building started in 2007 when he was still the city's mayor.

Last week, former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado also accused Binay of owning a P1.2-billion "hacienda" in Batangas.

Binay, a close friend of President Benigno Aquino III's family, has repeatedly said that the allegations against him were politically motivated.

Aquino, for his part, said last Friday that Binay "should know what should be done" with the allegations against him. —NB, GMA News

Tags: jejomarbinay, malacañang, makaticitybuilding2, leiladelima, unitednationalistalliance