MAYOR BINAY
The Office of the Ombudsman has issued a second suspension order against Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay and other city officials over their participation in the alleged anomalous construction of the Makati Science High School building.
Claro Certeza, Binay’s counsel, said that the Makati Science High School case is “weak” as its construction underwent proper bidding.
Supporters of the younger Binay have trooped to the Makati City Hall grounds yesterday morning to show their support for the embattled mayor.
This marks the second time that the Ombudsman issued such order against the Makati mayor. Last March, the Ombudsman issued a suspension order against Binay and other city officials for their involvement in the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Building 2.
The order ensued into a standoff in the city leadership as Vice Mayor Romulo Peña was sworn in as mayor with Binay holing up in his office.
The Court of Appeals then issued a 60-day temporary restraining order stopping the implementation of the suspension order.
Mayor Binay and members of his staff yesterday refused to receive the suspension order handed down on him and 14 other City Hall officials by the Office of the Ombudsman, prompting personnel from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to bring the document to his residence.
Barely three months after securing a reprieve from the Court of Appeals, the son of Vice President Jejomar Binay was again suspended by the anti-graft body in connection with the alleged irregularities in the construction of the P1.3-billion Makati Science High School building.
The Ombudsman issued the suspension order against the mayor exactly a week after his father bolted the Cabinet of President Aquino and accused the administration of being “insensitive” and “bumbling.”
Interestingly, the Ombudsman did not provide a copy of its 12-page order and issued a two-page press release instead.
The statement did not mention the duration of Binay et al.’s suspension. But a senior Ombudsman official said Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales meted out a six-month suspension without pay against the accused. /INQUIRER.NET
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