Sen. Nancy Binay during a Senate hearing on June 21, 2023. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/FileMANILA — A unnamed senator is allegedly sowing intrigue against Senator Nancy Binay and her bloc in connection with the construction of the new Senate building. 

In a press conference on Tuesday, Binay said she received information about that person allegedly spreading allegations of irregularities but refused to give a name.

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“Marami rin naman tayong kaibigan na colleagues dito sa Senate. They’ve been going around and telling stories about me and the building, kaya hindi totoo na I am being defensive ‘di ba. Ang masakit patalikod niya kaming sinasaksak,” Binay said. 

(We have several friends who are colleagues here in the Senate. They’ve been going around and telling stories about me and the building, which is why it is not true that I am being defensive. What hurts is that person is stabbing us behind our back.) 

Binay is allied with the Solid 7, the group of former Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri who was replaced by current Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero. 

When Escudero assumed office, a review on the new Senate building was ordered after its cost was discovered to have gone up to P23 billion from the original P8.9 billion.

POLITICS AT PLAY

Binay believes it all boils down to politics, particularly, the current dispute between Makati and Taguig. 

The present Chairman of the Committee on Accounts which scheduled a hearing on the new Senate building on July 3 is Senator Alan Cayetano who hails from Taguig.

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“Noong una ayaw kong maniwala eh pero habang tumatagal parang doon tumutumbok na nagagamit lang ‘yung Senate building for his issue di ba,” Binay said. “Bakit kailangan mong gibain yung institusyon just because may ganung Makati-Taguig issue?” 

(I didn’t want to believe at first but as this takes longer, it’s going in that direction that the Senate building is being used for this issue… Why do you need to destroy the institution just because there is this Makati-Taguig issue?) 

“Ang intensyon ba ay tapusin ang building, malaman ang katotohanan sa building or is it all about politics?” she added. 

(Is the intention to finish the building, to know the truth about the building or is it all about politics?)

MAKATI ISSUE IN 2015

 Binay repeatedly referred to the year 2015. During this time, the Senate investigated alleged irregularities with the Makati City Hall parking building.

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“Babalikan ko uli ‘yung nangyari nung 2015…so on my end I have to prepare kasi napagdaanan ko na ito eh parang nade-deja vu na nga ako sa mga nangyayari ngayon. Dapat paghandaan ko na hindi dapat maulit ang ganitong sistema na nagagamit ang Senado for personal ambition or vendetta,” Binay remarked. 

(I’ll go back again to 2015…so on my end I have to prepare because I have gone through this and what’s happening right now is like deja vu. I should prepare that the Senate will not be used again for personal ambition or vendetta.)   

Binay said she will only monitor the hearing tomorrow as she has been removed from the Committee on Accounts without any explanation. Binay chaired the Committee prior to Cayetano. 

Instead of a hearing, she said Cayetano should have talked with his Committee staff, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and other stakeholders first. 

“Wala pang ganun, it's more than a month,” Binay said. 

(There’s no such thing, it’s been more than a month.) 

She also lamented that there was no proper turnover between her and Cayetano. 

“As Chairperson of the Committee on Accounts he already has access to those documents na hinihingi niya (which he is asking for). But ‘yun na nga eh, hindi niya ako tinanong (But he didn’t ask me),” Binay stated. “The docs (documents) are there, the transcripts are there, malalaman nila pag may mali ang contractor (they will now if the contractor made a mistake).”

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Binay also pointed out that her colleague did not attend their previous briefings with fellow Senators about the new Senate building. 

“Noon pa lang if they actively participated already hindi sana nade-delay ngayon ang project,” Binay said. 

(If they actively participated before, the project would not have been delayed.)

 Cayetano has not yet given a comment on Binay’s statements.

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