Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV accused the camp of Mayor Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr. of bribing the justices of the Court of Appeals (CA) so that they could secure the decision granting the petition of Binay for an injunction.
Trillanes named two CA justices as the ones who received P25 million in exchange for the favorable decision. He publicly mentioned this at the Senate inquiry on the allegations of corruption against Vice President Jejomar Binay. The senator also named a lawyer as the source of his information. But the lawyer immediately denied this.
When asked if he has any evidence to prove his allegation, Trillanes answered in the negative, although he committed to ultimately come up with evidence.
The IBP advised Trillanes to take his accusation against the justices to the Supreme Court (SC) which, under the Constitution, has the power to discipline and dismiss justices of the lower courts. Even the SC asked Trillanes to prove his allegation.
Binay filed a complaint for libel against Trillanes but it may not prosper. Trillanes could always defend himself by saying that he is protected by the congressional privilege which states that he may not be held answerable or liable outside of Congress for any statement made in Congress.
Binay should instead file a complaint for disorderly behavior against Trillanes with the Senate to seek reprieve from the baseless accusations.
I hope that Trillanes will be more responsible with his accusations. Apparently, he can be considered as a loose cannon out to destroy the reputation of the Binays for political reasons.
Those who accuse Binay are his political opponents who are themselves involved in some questionable deals with the government.
And the issues have not been brought to the court.
Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Trillanes are using the Senate investigation for their political attacks to destroy the image of the Binays.
I submit that the two gentlemen should now file a complaint against the Binays if they have the evidence that can stand the scrutiny of the courts.
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The move of the Cebu city government to relocate those living beside the piles of garbage in the Inayawan dumpsite is only proper, in order to protect the residents’ lives.
The city government recently conducted a forced evacuation. The residents have been warned against the danger of continuing their stay in the dumpsite. Threats include fires or an avalanche of garbage.
The residents should thank the city government for looking after their safety. Though there are some who were not happy with the forced evacuation, saying that they were not informed beforehand about it, but I say that the mere fact that they live in a precarious area should have already been enough warning to them.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Dept. of Health (DOH) are happy with what the city government has done because they also agree that the condition of the place is no longer safe for the residents.