MANILA, Philippines – Senator Nancy Binay is mulling an ethics complaint against her political nemesis, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, after the latter called her crazy and “Marites” (Filipino slang for gossip monger) during a Senate hearing.
Binay said this on Thursday, July 4, when asked if she planned to file an ethics complaint against Cayetano, who had berated her during the Senate hearing on the new Senate building the previous day.
“Magkokonsulta muna ako sa staff ko kung ano ang appropriate action to take. ‘Di ko pa nababasa ang buong transcript at pag-aaralan pa ng legal team namin. I’ll let you know kung mag-decide kaming i-elevate sa ethics committee,” Binay said in a text message to reporters.
(I will consult my staff first on the appropriate action to take. I have yet to read the full transcript of the hearing and my legal team will still have to study it. I’ll let you know if we decide to elevate it to the ethics committee.)
The hearing on the new Senate building on Wednesday, July 3, got too personal between the two senators, with Cayetano accusing Binay of influencing media interviews to favor her own narrative. (READ: Cayetano-led hearing on new Senate office gets too personal, Binay walks out)
The Senate committee on accounts chaired by Cayetano launched the probe after Senate President Chiz Escudero ordered a “comprehensive review” of concerns over the rising cost of the construction of the new Senate building. Escudero had said that he was shocked after learning that the construction project would cost the government P23 billion to complete.
The accounts committee is in charge of the Senate’s budget, expenses, audit, and other fiscal activities, including the ongoing construction of the new Senate home in Fort Bonifacio. Binay is the former accounts committee chair.
Binay refuted Cayetano’s claim that the cost now stands at P23 billion, saying it was only P21.7 billion. Unconvinced, Cayetano insisted that cost had reached P23 billion because of the land acquisition.
The two traded barbs for around 20 minutes, and at one point of their heated exchange, Cayetano resorted to name-calling, saying that Binay is a gossip monger.
“Sinasabi mo na may kinalaman ito sa Makati-Taguig issue. Sasabihin mo may sumasaksak sa likod mo. Ano iisipin nila? Ma’am isa lang sasabihin ko sa ‘yo, Lourdes pangalan mo at hindi Marites. Ayusin natin ito. Nakakahiya na,” Cayetano said.
(You’re telling us that this hearing has something to do with Makati-Taguig issue. You said that someone is backstabbing you. What will they think? Ma’am, I’ll tell you only one thing, your name is Lourdes, not Marites. Let’s fix this. This is embarrassing.)
Binay’s full name is Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay.
The two lawmakers had been at odds in the past. It was Cayetano who led the year-long probe against the Binay family on infrastructure projects of the Makati government in 2015, including the alleged overpriced Makati City hall building.
Towards the end of their heated exchange, Binay asked the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) if there was a P23-billion amount in their documents, to which DPWH Undersecretary Emil Sadain responded, “There is none.”
After the DPWH’s response, Binay told Cayetano, “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I made my point. There’s no such thing as P23 billion sa (in) DPWH.” Then she walked out of the room.
“Nabuang ka na ‘day. Tapusin natin nang maayos ito. Senado ito ng Pilipinas, hindi ito palengke (You became crazy. Let’s fix this properly. This is the Senate of the Philippines, not a market),”Cayetano said, as Binay was walking out of the room.
The DPWH said during the hearing that the construction has been delayed by 852 days or over two years. The Senate earlier eyed to open session on July 29 in the new Senate building, in time for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address.
– Rappler.com
