Senate subpanel hearing vs. VP Binay to resume Tuesday

The Senate blue ribbon subcommittee is set to continue its investigation on the corruption allegations against Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, a member of the panel, said Tuesday morning's hearing will center on the total amount Binay, a strong contender in the May presidential race, "plundered" during his long stint as mayor of Makati City.

Trillanes said they will be presenting a new witness during the hearing.

"We will take up the total amount plundered by VP Binay from the coffers of Makati which runs to billions of pesos," Trillanes said in a text message to GMA News Online. "We will have a new witness who will attest to this."

The hearing will be held at 9 a.m.

Trillanes said the hearing was supposed to be scheduled last November, but they had to give way for the budget deliberations. No other committee hearings are allowed during the budget deliberations to allow senators to focus on it.

"It was only know that we had a common schedule," he said.

In a press conference, Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said he will not attend Tuesday's hearing to avoid speculations that will just use it for grandstanding.

"I made an announcement that I'd like to avoid hearings where we can be  accused of being partisan because kandidato na kami,” said Cayetano, who is running for vice president in May.

Cayetano, the running mate of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, urged other senators to participate in the hearing.

“I-challenge natin yung iba, 24 naman kami [na senador], siguro pwede na um-attend 'yung iba by this time,” he said.

In the past, only Cayetano, Trillanes and Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, who heads the subcommittee, were actively participating in the hearing on Binay.

Cayetano also denied that the hearing was timed just as when Binay was regaining his lead in presidential surveys.

"Naka-schedule ito November, December, pero tinatago 'yung witnesses, 'yung iba hina-harass, hindi dumadating ang dokumento," he said.

"We want to finish this before the filing of candidacy pero sino ba ang nag-delay, hindi naman si Sen. Trillanes, hindi si Sen. Koko, hindi ako," he added.

Binay's camp had earlier questioned the resumption of the hearing.

Joey Salgado, Binay’s spokesperson, believes Trillanes, who is also running for vice president, merely wants to squeeze from the hearing whatever publicity it can provide him and his campaign.

"Ang daming issues na dapat ginugulan ng oras ng Senado na hindi nila ginawa. Ang daming issues na hanggang ngayon ay wala pa ring kasagutan tulad ng kahirapan, gutom, kawalan ng trabaho. Imbes na harapin ito, mas gusto ni Senador Trillanes na ituloy ang paninira kay Vice President dahil tumaas ang rating ni Vice President Binay sa mga survey," he said in a press statement. —KBK, GMA News