LPs rally behind Drilon, Cabinet members in Iloilo controversy

Top officials of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) on Tuesday rallied behind Senate President Franklin Drilon and other administration officials implicated in the alleged overpricing of the Iloilo Convention Center (ICC), a day after the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee announced it would investigate the controversy.

 

LP Secretary-General and Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento said that while the LP had no qualms about the Senate inquiry into the ICC, the party suspects the filing of criminal charges against Drilon, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson and Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez in connection with the construction project was part of UNA’s “underhanded tactics” to divert the attention away from the mess involving its standard-bearer for the 2016 elections, Vice President Jejomar Binay.

 

“We in the Liberal party stand firmly behind Senate President Franklin Drilon, Singson and Jimenez and their assurance that there was no overpricing involved in the project, and that the bidding process was conducted in accordance with standard rules and procedures,” he said in a statement.

 

Charges of plunder, malversation of public funds, dishonesty and grave misconduct, and violation of Sections 3(e) and 3(g) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Practices have been filed against Drilon, Singson, Jimenez and six other individuals by former Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada Jr. last week because of the alleged irregularities in the construction of the P700-million ICC.

 

UNA in ‘desperate situation’

 

Sarmiento said the timing of the filing of charges against the three Cabinet officials “by a discedited Iloilo political operator” was suspect.

 

“It comes at a time when we are informed that VP Binay himself has pleaded with President Aquino to ask his political allies in the Senate to stop the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investiga[tion] on his alleged ill-gotten wealth,” he said.

 

Critics accuse Binay and his family of benefitting from the alleged overpriced construction of the Makati City Hall Building II and owning pricey pieces of property in Batangas and Cavite.

 

Iloilo City Rep. Jerry Treñas, deputy chair of the LP Visayas bloc, said UNAwas is now in a “desperate situation” now that the allegations of corruption against Binay have become the center of public attention.

 

“It’s obvious that UNA cannot come up with a convincing explanation regarding the corruption issues hounding the Vice President. They were resorting to spiteful personality attacks to muddle the issue and its clear that among their targets are the allies of the President,” he said.

 

Another LP stalwart, Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, expressed confidence the public would "not to fall for the latest squid tactic" coming from Binay's camp.
 

"These spurious fabrications should not shield the Vice President from the real issue: his unexplained refusal to answer the charges against him before the Senate Blue Ribbon committee," he said. 

'Dilly-dallying' on probe

 

Although the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has heeded UNA's challenge to investigate Drilon over the alleged anomalies in the ICC's construction, the opposition on Tuesday criticized the panel for being silent on the date when the issue would be tackled in the upper chamber.

 

In a separate statement, UNA interim president and Navotas City Rep. Tobias "Toby" Tiangco scored the Senate panel for "dilly-dallying" on the ICC investigation.

 

“Will Senate President Drilon’s allies show the same enthusiasm and aggressiveness they are displaying right now in the subcommittee? Will they also conduct nine hearings to ferret out the truth?” he asked.

 

Blue Ribbon panel chairman Sen. Teofisto Guingona III earlier said they will set the date of the hearing "as soon as initial preparations have been completed."

 

The committee has sent letters to the parties concerned in the controversy to submit the necessary documents explaining their side on the alleged irregularities. —NB, GMA News