Will Senate probe Iloilo ‘overprice’?

MANILA, Philippines - If a resolution is filed, the Senate may conduct its own probe on allegations of overpricing involving the president of the chamber, Franklin Drilon, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said yesterday.

Drilon has described as “ridiculous” and “baseless” the plunder complaint filed against him, two Cabinet members and several others by a former Iloilo provincial administrator over the construction of the P700-million Iloilo Convention Center.

Blue Ribbon committee chairman Sen. Teofisto Guingona III was not available for comment yesterday, with a member of his staff saying the senator was not feeling well.

Reportedly upon doctors’ advice, Guingona had to cancel all his media interviews in the Visayas and Mindanao until the weekend to be able to rest.

Pimentel, chairman of the Senate subcommittee investigating the allegations of overpricing of the Makati City Hall building 2 involving Vice President Jejomar Binay and his family, said the Senate could look into the Iloilo case.

“The Senate is a formal institution and we have processes,” Pimentel said.

Pimentel cited the resolution filed by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV calling for a probe on the allegations against Binay.

“If there is a senator who wants to investigate the Iloilo Convention Center, he should file a proper resolution. Then the resolution will be referred to the proper committee and it’s up to the chairman whether the hearing will be set or not,” Pimentel said.

Detained Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, however, said the Senate has the mandate to conduct an investigation on its own initiative without necessarily relying on a resolution calling for a congressional probe.

“If the chairman and the committee are still committed to its mandate of ensuring accountability of public officers and it is not just a tool for partisan politicking and mudslinging, they will rise to the challenge and perform its duty,” Estrada said in a statement from his detention cell at the Philippine National Police at Camp Crame.

“If it is really non-partisan and independent and does not look at political colors, it will launch an inquiry into the matter without delay. If he has the balls to carry out his task as chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee, Senator Guingona will take up the challenge,” Estrada said.

Estrada has been subject of the Blue Ribbon probe on the pork barrel controversy. He found as “unfair” the way the Senate Blue Ribbon conducted the pork barrel controversy against him and two colleagues, Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Ramon Revilla Jr.