Peña slams Binay camp for 'squid tactic'

MANILA, Philippines - The camp of acting Makati Mayor Romulo “Kid” Peña on Friday downplayed the recent accusations thrown against Arthur Cruto, the current officer-in-charge of the Makati Action Center (MAC) as an attempt to distract the public’s attention away from the issue of “ghost senior city residents.”

In a statement, Makati City Hall spokesperson Gibo Delos Reyes said the call to pin down Cruto on the alleged P2 million worth of unliquidated cash advances he made over ten years ago, when Vice President Jejomar C. Binay was still city mayor has the characteristics of a “squid tactic" where the accuser becomes the accused. 

Delos Reyes also branded the allegations of the vice president’s camp against Cruto as a “vindictive move” to him (Cruto) for exposing alleged anomalies in the city government’s BLU card program for senior residents.

"Isn’t it strange that they are now calling for the immediate resolution of this case when they could have done this over a decade ago?” Delos Reyes said.

Cruto recently testified before the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee that the “initial findings” of the audit in 14 barangays in Makati showed that 40 percent to 52 percent of the elderly beneficiaries are not on the Commission on Election’s voters’ list, and were not found at the addresses listed in official records as their place of residence in Makati.

However, Delos Reyes assured the public that acting Makati Mayor Peña's administration will be acting on the claims.

He said acting Mayor Peña is already looking on the matter and will act on the issue according to its merits. 

"Actually based on our initial findings, it appears that Cruto's name was merely used to access the said funds while the actual disbursement was made by the leadership then of the Liga ng mga Barangay. Truth be told, I think it is them who needs to explain on this issue," Delos Reyes said. 

Delos Reyes added that Peña welcomes all criticisms pertaining to his administration, including issues raised against his appointees.

“Acting mayor Peña's administration will be characterized by transparency and accountability. He will not tolerate any form of abuse in the city government under his watch,” he said.