Don’t let politics get in the way of truth

I was born in Makati, but had lived most of my life in Parañaque. In the last four years, however, I have been a resident of Makati—just in the fringes of the central business district—and I find this very convenient.

All this time I never really cared for city politics. A Binay has been mayor since 1986, and I believe the family has done a lot for the city despite what his political detractors claim.

Now comes this suspension order, supposed due to anomalies at city hall involving city employees’ taxes and alleged ghost employees.

While seemingly motivated by politics, the allegations are a tarnish on the Binay record nonetheless—and something that requires comprehensive explanation by the mayor himself.

I am a taxpayer, and I cringe every time the government takes a big chunk of my pay. I believe city employees feel the same way. But to belatedly realize that their taxes may have ended up somewhere other than the government is worse. Explanation is truly necessary.

It is only fair that Mayor Binay gets his day in court, without the threat of suspension. And if it’s proved he is guilty, then punish him, first with suspension then with prosecution.

But he should be given the chance to prove his innocence, and to answer all the allegations against him. Beyond that, he should come clean and explain to the residents of Makati the real score.

Pagcor chairman Efraim Genuino categorically denies that Pagcor and his family have anything to do with the suspension order against Mayor Binay. You see, Mr. Genuino’s sons are both running for office in Makati: one as city councilor and another as congressman against Mr. Binay’s own daughter.

You may recall that the Office of the Ombudsman issued the suspension order on the basis of the complaint filed by Councilor Oscar Ibay, which alleged anomalies at Makati City Hall. Mr. Ibay, a long-time councilor and former Binay political ally, is now running for a congressional seat against Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr., a Binay ally.

The complaint may have been politically motivated, perhaps Mr. Ibay had an axe to grind, or would simply do anything to win.

However, I doubt if Mr. Genuino had anything to do with the Ombudsman’s action—he would be too obvious a scapegoat. It’s convenient for Mr. Binay to blame him, considering that his son is running against the mayor’s daughter.

But as a Makati resident, I believe Mr. Genuino raised a valid point when he said there should be full public disclosure of the city government’s records, to determine once and for all the truth. Let Mr. Binay show the official list of city hall employees, and let him show how much withholding tax was deducted from their salaries and how much was actually remitted to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). This will put all allegations in the proper light. As the Pagcor chairman correctly pointed out, if Mr. Binay was indeed innocent as he claimed, then the records would speak for themselves.

In an official statement, Mr. Genuino said that as the responsible public official many people knew him to be, Mr. Binay must submit to the investigation of the Ombudsman and face the issue with dignity and composure, instead of pointing accusing fingers at his political opponents.

The 60-day suspension order has been held in abeyance by the interior department pending an appellate court ruling. Mr. Binay reportedly planned to question the suspension order in court. The recent suspension order is the second against Mr. Binay in seven months. In October 2006 he was also ordered suspended, but the mayor got an injunction from the appellate court.

The BIR has moved to seize some of Makati City’s 34 bank accounts, to cover the amount of tax that the city government allegedly failed to pay. This is reportedly totaling more than P1 billion, covering the periods 1999 to 2002. But Mr. Binay vehemently denied this, claiming that the city government had already settled its tax obligation when it entered into a P200-million tax settlement with BIR. He also said the city government was never told that the settlement was rejected by BIR despite an initial payment to cover the liabilities, although BIR claimed the P200 million Makati already advanced was considered credit against the entire tax liability of P1.1 billion. The mayor added that his administration would use all legal remedies to recover the money seized by BIR.

For the sake of city hall employees, Mayor Binay, the Genuinos, and the people of Makati, an early resolution to this issue is paramount. I can only hope that politics won’t get in the way of the truth. 

Comments to matort@yahoo.com

Contrary to the claims of the perennial doomsayers that the Philippine economy is down in the dumps, there’s actually enough good news in the economic front to merit a positive outlook.

Dear fellow sheep,

A few Sundays ago, our shepherd, Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, wrote an election-related pastoral letter addressed to us, his flock in the archdiocese of Manila.

I was born in Makati, but had lived most of my life in Parañaque. In the last four years, however, I have been a resident of Makati—just in the fringes of the central business district—and I find this very convenient.

About 28 years ago, a fast-growing, high-flying conglomerate known as the CDCP (Construction Development Corporation of the Philippines) had it so good that the mere word of its executives and its owners was considered in business circles here and abroad to be etched in granite, good as gold, or unquestionably bankable.

It appears that GO’s greatest enemy is within its own party.

My first full-length movie was rejected by the Sundance Film Festival. Granted it was only a thesis project to complete my Master in Fine Arts at Columbia University. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t devastated. I still keep the rejection letter sent by the festival director, Geoff Gilmore, to remind myself I’ve got a long way to go.