Junjun Binay to Roxas: Be fair, wait for CA decision

MANILA, Philippines – A day before his suspension order is expected to be enforced, Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay appealed to the interior secretary to treat him fairly and wait for the court’s decision on his case.

On Sunday, March 15, Binay acknowledged that it is the job of Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II to enforce the suspension order issued by the Ombudsman against the Makati mayor.

But he appealed to Roxas to “respect due process and the rule of law,” adding that the Court of Appeals (CA) is now in the process of reviewing the petition he filed asking for a temporary restraining order (TRO).

“I am appealing to Secretary Mar Roxas. The Court of Appeals has taken jurisdiction of my case. I know and understand that you have a job to do, but there have been many instances when the DILG accomodated the judicial recourse of their [Liberal Party] partymates similarly situated,” Binay said in a statement.

Last week, the Ombudsman tasked the DILG with enforcing the suspension order it issued against Binay, over allegations of irregularities in the awarding of a contract linked to an allegedly overpriced Makati city building.

The Makati mayor, however, assailed the order and called it a political attack to derail the 2016 presidential bid of his father, Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Roxas is widely perceived to be the elder Binay’s main rival in next year’s polls.

Since the order was issued, the Makati mayor has holed up in his office in the city hall. Crowds have also turned up at the lobby and quadrangle to show their support for the mayor.

Binay’s camp has said that they will not leave the city hall until the CA decides on the petition.

They also challenged Roxas to personally enforce the suspension order – a move which the DILG secretary criticized as coming from a “high school perspective.”

Roxas also said that the Ombudsman’s order was immediately executory, and that it is the DILG’s job to follow the order.

In his statement, Binay said Roxas should be fair and should not act according to his political allegiance.

“Sana naman ay maging parehas at walang kinikilingan si DILG Secretary Roxas, at maging pantay ang pagtingin sa kapartido man o sa amin na kasama sa oposisyon,” he said.

(We hope DILG Secretary Roxas will be fair and unbiased, and will treat everyone the same, whether he is an ally or a member of the opposition.)

He emphasized that his camp has followed due process when it questioned the Ombudsman’s order before the CA.

Binay also said that the suspension order was not about him, but about politics and the 2016 polls.

“We all know this is not about me. It’s about the people of Makati. It’s about the will of the people that is being overturned by the unelected and unelectable few.”

“It’s all about the 2016 elections. It’s about using the power of government to prevent my father from serving the Filipino people the same way he served the people of Makati: with competence, integrity and compassion,” he added. – Rappler.com