Binay turns tables on accuser

MANILA, Philippines - The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay yesterday turned the tables on Arthur Cruto, the latest witness of the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee against the Vice President, accusing the city official of having accumulated some P2 million in unliquidated cash advances 10 years ago.

Joey Salgado, media affairs head of the Office of the Vice President, said Cruto has failed to submit liquidation documents for cash advances in August 2004 and April 2005, citing records from the City Accounting Department.

The cash advances were made in August 2004 for the Araw ng Makati celebration and in April 2005 for an A.R.I.S. Seminar amounting to P1.82 million and P300,600, respectively, Salgado said.

Last week, Cruto testified before the Senate subcommittee that some P367.5 million in funds for senior citizens in Makati City were allegedly missing due to “ghost” beneficiaries.

Salgado said acting Makati Mayor Romulo Peña Jr. has appointed Cruto as officer-in-charge of the Makati Action Center.

Cruto served as executive assistant of former Makati vice mayor Ernesto Mercado, the main witness in the ongoing Senate inquiry into corruption allegations against the vice president.

Salgado urged Peña to compel Cruto to produce the documents and return any unspent balance.

Of the total cash advances of P2,120,600, he said Cruto was able to liquidate only P16,497.10, specifically on his second cash advance for a seminar in 2005.

“We would like to remind the acting mayor that he had personally vouched for the ‘untarnished’ employment records of his appointees,” Salgado said.

“It would do him well to take a closer look at the records of his other appointees to ensure that they do not have outstanding obligations like Cruto,” he said.

Earlier, Peña had justified his designation of new officials replacing heads of departments under the administration of now suspended Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr., saying it would be ‘beneficial’ to the city government because they had both the qualifications and integrity to promote good governance.

Upon assuming office as acting mayor, Peña appointed Cruto to head the MAC, which has been tasked to conduct a survey of the senior citizens throughout the city.                             

Cruto recently testified before the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee about nonexistent or “ghost” senior citizens, allegedly comprising almost half of the so-called BLU Card Program beneficiaries, based on initial surveys done by MAC personnel in two barangays. 

However, former head of Makati Social Welfare Department Ryan Barcelo questioned the methods used by MAC in conducting the survey, citing a number of flaws in the so-called audit procedure. With Mike Frialde