MANILA, Philippines -- Pressing his crusade to pin down Vice President Jejomar Binay on corruption allegations, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Saturday urged government regulatory agencies to probe the United Nationalist Alliance standard bearer and other personalities linked to the University of Makati mess.
UNA, on the other hand, in a separate case also involving Binay, UNA accused the Office of the Ombudsman of “exerting pressure on the Commission on Audit to release and transmit to the anti-graft body an incomplete special audit report on Makati City Hall Building 2,” calling it “a bid to derail the candidacy” of their standard bearer.
Trillanes, in a statement, said he wrote the Anti-Money Laundering Council, Philippine Stock Exchange, Securities and Exchange Commission and Bureau of Internal Revenue to look into the alleged violations committed Binay, his son, unseated Makati mayor Jejomar Erwin Jr., UMak president Tomas Lopez, Systems Technology Inc. chairman Eusebio Tanco and president Monico Jacob, Annabelle Borromeo and Dr. Jack Arroyo Jr., who have been accused before the Ombudsman of plunder, malversation of public funds and violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Government Procurement Reform Act for allegedly conniving to divert public funds from the university to favor a private corporation.
Trillanes, who is running for vice president, claimed that research related to the investigation conducted by a Senate Blue Ribbon sub-committee into the alleged corruption in Makati, they “uncovered 'indubitable facts and records' showing how the accused individuals misappropriated funds totaling intended for the UMak,” totaling P547,420,499 and diverted this to the Philippine Healthcare Educators, Inc.
"Considering the fact that the subject nefarious scheme involved more than half a billion pesos diverted to private corporations, PHEI and Systems Technology Institute, Inc., I would like to respectfully request the Honorable SEC and PSE to look into and/or investigate possible violations of the laws, rules and regulations, which may have been committed by the perpetrators in the course of the operation of their dubious scheme," Trillanes said in the letter.
On the other hand, UNA president Toby Tiango claimed they have received information that Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales “has been personally calling up COA officials telling them to transmit to her office its special audit report on Makati Building 2 even if the report does not include the replies or comments of City Hall officials.”
“In so doing, the Ombudsman wants COA to effectively discard the findings of 11 audits, including one conducted by technical specialists, which concluded there was no overpricing and that the said project complied with COA regulations,” he said.
If COA acceded to the Ombudsman’s request, Tiangco said, it would “violate its own policy that no special audits should be done against candidates running for the May elections,” specifically in COA resolution 2015-033 issued September 29 last year.
Tiangco said Morales’ alleged calls “displayed blatant partiality when handling complaints involving the Vice President and members of his family.”
“The Ombudsman represents an administration that has a track record of flouting the law and the Constitution in bringing down its political enemies while ignoring, aiding and abetting unlawful acts of its partymates and allies,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tiangco said, “the COA and Ombudsman are pussyfooting on its reports on the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) and DAP (Disbursement Acceleration Program).”
“Until now, COA has yet to release its complete PDAF audit covering the Aquino administration,” he said. “The Ombudsman, on the other hand, is sitting on its hand and has failed to even consider taking action against those involved in the DAP scandal which has been declared unlawful and unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.”
