Yellow Ribbon committee vs. Binay

THE so-called Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee hearings on the alleged corruption of Vice President Jejomar Binay are supposedly “in aid of legislation.” Exactly what pieces of legislation are being served is a secret only the senators know.

The multi-pronged demolition job on Binay is so organized: It happens right in the Senate, with a multimedia campaign, and social media trolls, thrown in for good measure.

The slick demolition drive is deliberately hiding essential and prejudicial matters: Alan Peter Cayetano and Antonio Trillanes also harbor presidential ambitions and would therefore benefit from an outcome adverse to Binay. Nothing is also said of Aquilino Pimentel III’s axe to grind against his erstwhile fellow PDP-Laban stalwart Binay who has left the party in favor of UNA. It is also being forgotten that the Senate leadership is loyal to the President and his Liberal Party. Heck, both Senate President Franklin Drilon and Senate Blue Ribbon chairman Teofisto Guingona III are Liberals.

These hearings should be viewed as shamelessly in aid of senators’ own presidential ambitions, and in aid of the ruling party which up to now has no winnable presidential candidate and could only offer the public the discredited and disgraced Mar “Epal King” Roxas, who Binay defeated in the 2010 vice presidential race.

Make no mistake about it: Binay could be brought to court over the Hacienda Binay, Makati City Parking Building, and other scandalous issues. If it really finds probable cause and strong evidence to charge Binay in court, the Senate has the obligation to ask the Department of Justice to file the requisite information.

But both the Senate and the DOJ have not done so. They are satisfied and happy to “damage” Binay through the Senate hearings and press conferences. All for the petty interests of Cayetano, Trillanes, and Pimentel and to pave the way for a still-undiscovered administration presidential contender.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee used to be the most fear-inducing committee of the Senate. It performs best when it trains its guns on the administration, whose powers and prerogatives are most prone to abuse. Under Liberals Drilon and Guingona, it has been prostituted in service of the ugly traditional political goal of damaging the frontrunner in the 2016 presidential elections and of propping the ambitions of Cayetano and Trillanes. Today’s Blue Ribbon Committee is sparing all the corrupt ringleaders of the administration and wielding its might on the opposition.

The Senate also used to be known as the fiscalizer of the administration. Today, it is the attack dog and deodorant of the administration. Whether the senators wittingly or unwittingly allowed the prostitution of the Senate’s premiere committee or that this is in exchange for presidential largesse, only time will tell. But remember, senators received the largest presidential pork barrel allocations from BS Aquino.

The pro-Aquino Liberals and Yellow Army trolls have also been exposed as fake, unprincipled, inconsistent and hypocritical “anti-corruption champions.” Again.

First, they tried to pretend to be against pork barrel but it turned out that they want to protect and promote the most rotten and largest pig, BS Aquino’s disbursment acceleration program.

Now, they are meek and silent as lambs after the public compelled the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to hear serious allegations against Drilon. The pro-Liberal trolls and diehards could only generate moral outrage against the opposition, but not when the administration is involved. They are as selective in their moral outrage as the prosecutors are in charging only political opponents of BS Aquino.

If Cayetano and Trillanes want to fight Binay in 2016, no one is stopping them. They should declare their intention and stop using their positions for their own selfish ends. If they want to haul Binay to court, no one is stopping them either. But they have not done so and it appears would never do so.

Meanwhile, those who absolutely hate Binay should demand that cases be filed now and, more importantly, look for a candidate to campaign for. Lest we forget, we vote for candidates, not against candidates. If they can’t come up with a credible candidate, they just might ironically help elect President Binay by a wide margin.

With the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee now compromised and biased in favor of the corruption-ridden administration, we should be wary of the ongoing hearings on both Binay and Drilon. The rampage on Binay may continue and the perfunctory probe on Drilon may be cut short, for no apparent reason except that they may lose interest in roasting the Senate President.

We should adopt the stand of the Abolish Pork Movement: “Lahat ng sangkot, dapat managot” - without exceptions and especially if it involves the more powerful administration.