Peña blames Junjun Binay for non-release of salaries

MANILA, Philippines — Makati Vice Mayor Romulo "Kid" Peña who was installed by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) as the city's "acting mayor" said he should not be blamed for the non-release of salaries of the city's 17 councilors and their respective staff.

In a statement on Monday, Peña reacted strongly to words of councilor Mayeth Casal-Uy who blamed him for holding councilors' salary releases.

"It saddens me that suspended Mayor Junjun Binay seems to believe holding on to power and demanding total loyalty is more important than valuing the welfare of Makati employees," said Peña.

"Through Casal-Uy, [Binay] is using the issue of staff salaries to block the Ombudsman's investigation and potentially evade justice," Peña added.

Casal-Uy earlier said that Peña as the city vice mayor should have been the one signing the checks for the salaries of the councilors and their staff members. The Local Government Code requires that the vice mayor must approve such releases.

However, Peña's lawyer explained that Peña as the now "acting mayor" no longer has the power to sign salary releases.

"The acting mayor is legally barred from executing the duties of the vice mayor. Signing the salary releases is clearly outside of his power," said Peña's lawyer, Pol Poblador.

Poblador said the law requires that when the position of vice mayor is vacant, the city council may designate one of their own to assume his duties.

"We suggested this solution to the council particularly to avoid salary delays. However, they have not acted," said Poblador in a statement.

Poblador said that because of the city councilors' refusal to act, the DILG has issued a memorandum ordering first Makatii Councilor Virgilio Hilario to assume the post of "acting vice mayor."

"This memorandum should clarify without a doubt whose legal duty it is to sign the salary releases. If the staff still do not receive their pay, Hilario and the council are to obviously to blame and should be condemned for not executing their official duties," said Poblador.

The Office of the Ombudsman last March 11 ordered the six-month preventive suspension of Mayor Binay as part of its probe into the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Building 2.

Binay refused to leave his office after the Court of Appeals issued a temporary restraining order.

Meanwhile, Peña called on Mayor Binay to stop using Makati residents as his "human shields."

"Junjun Binay has been recruiting people to sleep in the now abhorrent conditions in the city hall building just to protect himself, and now he is even holding employees' salaries hostage. If he truly calls himself a public servant, he should stop denying the council's staff their salaries just to protect his own interests. He should stop using the people of Makati as human shields," he said.