Sen. Antonio F. Trillanes IV and Sen. Nancy Binay both passed the halls of the University of the Philippines’ National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG), in a manner of speaking. Senator Trillanes is an alumnus of the college and during my term as dean, he was in fact, the president of the NCPAG Alumni Association. On the other hand, Senator Binay took a special course in public administration and governance soon after her electoral victory in 2013.
I am writing this not because they were students of the university, but because in the last few weeks, they have been in the news in connection with Senator Trillanes’ call for a probe on the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall parking building. Senator Binay decried the probe as politically motivated and as something that has to do with the 2016 presidential election. She may be correct. And she has assured that the issue will be well handled by the proper respondents during the probe.
However, given the controversy among our institutions surrounding public fund utilization, Senator Trillanes’ call has relevance to the times. If we recall how the senator has come to his present political post, the stubborn insistence on accountability and strong advocacy against corruption are a trademark of the former Navy man.
—DR. EDNA ESTIFANIA A. CO, professor, University of the Philippines,
ednaco.upcids@gmail.com