Binay affidavit clearly useless

The Inquirer reported that Sen. Grace Poe agreed with the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee’s “partial report and recommendation” to file plunder charges against Vice President Jejomar Binay in connection with the overpricing (by more than P1 billion!) of the Makati City Hall Parking Building II (“Poe signs report vs Binay,” Front Page, 5/30/15). The Binay camp, through its spokesman, lawyer Rico Quicho, decried that Binay’s side was simply ignored. It is safe to assume that he also spoke for all the lawyers circling the wagon around their beleaguered client.

Let us get this straight before more nonsense comes out of the Binay camp. Lawyer Quicho adverted to an “affidavit” submitted by the vice president debunking all the charges “point by point.” Does he really not get it? Law 101: An affidavit is self-serving and amounts to nothing but a scrap of paper if the person swearing to the narratives therein contained refuses to be cross-examined! Law students have learned that elementary rule quite well. If Quicho has ever appeared in court, he should know that the court pooh-poohs any such affidavit as if it does not exist. It’s hearsay evidence and not worth the paper it’s written on.

As Binay has never bothered to appear before the Senate despite several invites (of course, to avoid damning questions about his lame denials in the affidavit), how could Quicho find the gall to insist that Binay’s affidavit carried any weight? Will the lawyers in the Binay camp please stop making fools of themselves—before we totally lose our respect for the law profession! Already, there is a joke going around about lawyers being no more virtuous than prostitutes—they will do anything for a client if the price is right! The Integrated Bar of the Philippines should really start thinking more seriously about setting up a “vice squad”!

—ARNULFO M. EDRALIN, [email protected]