The Binays’ problem

The investigation being conducted by the Senate blue ribbon committee into the allegedly grossly overpriced Makati City Hall building 2, which is actually a 6-story car park, may have some political undertones; but this is understandable since the accusers, the accused and the investigators are politicians. But it is very necessary, in order to ferret out the truth, considering that the accused are the incumbent vice president (who may become our next president in 2016), his wife, his two daughters and a son, the incumbent Makati mayor.

The hearing will also provide an insight into how local government units conduct biddings for large infrastructure projects that are beyond the technical competence of their engineers and the Commission on Audit’s technical inspection teams—a reality that explains the rampant anomalies resulting from overestimates in quantities and overpricing per unit value of materials used.

If the Binays really did not make money from those big-ticket infra projects, then they should welcome the investigation because—and this they should know—if after the investigation is completed the public is convinced that there was nothing anomalous with the project, Vice President Jejomar Binay will be a sure winner in 2016. The problem is: Right now, the public is wary that Binay was only an ordinary crusading Mabini lawyer during the Marcos dictatorship with no wealth to show. How he and his family have become very rich or where they got their wealth, nobody knows. To date, not one of the Binays or their supporters in the media have come out to explain how they amassed their wealth.

—JOSE TAGANAHAN,

[email protected]