Palace to Binay camp: Just follow Senate rules

MANILA — Malacañang yesterday hit back at the camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay which accused the administration of persecuting him and his friends and business associates.

In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda refuted the statement of Binay's camp that the administration had a hand in the arrest order issued by the Senate to 14 individuals linked to the vice president.

Lacierda said there was no politics involved in the issuance of the arrest order since the Senate was only applying its rules on the people who failed to attend the Blue Ribbon Sub-Committee inquiry into the corruption allegations against Binay.

"There are rules within the Senate that they have to follow. The arrest order is a logical consequence of their failure to explain and failure to appear before the Senate body," Lacierda said.

The Palace official added that the arrest warrant was not politically motivated since Binay's allies who attended the Senate hearings were not ordered to be arrested.

"If its all politics, then by force of logic, everybody should be issued a warrant of arrest," he said.

On Tuesday, the Senate Blue Ribbon committee ordered the arrest and detention of 14 individuals, including the vice president's close friend Gerry Limlingan, for contempt after refusing to testify in the inquiry into allegations of graft against the Binays.

Rico Quicho, Binay's spokesman for political affairs, accused the Liberal Party of using state agencies in its efforts to destroy the vice president's reputation and derail his chances in the 2016 elections.

"It is a shame that this administration has brazenly ignored the rule of law. Private individuals have been insulted and their rights trampled in full view of millions of our people," Quicho said in a statement.

He said the contempt charge "is nothing but political harassment designed to bring the vice president down to his knees."