MANILA: Another former Makati official is backing up allegations that the Binays benefited from the city government’s birthday cake project for its senior citizens.
Mario Hechanova, former head of Makati City’s general services department, said then Mayor Jejomar Binay himself personally followed up on the payment for the allegedly overpriced cakes. He said the payment would go to the former mayor’s daughter, now Sen Nancy Binay. When the payment was once delayed, Hechanova recalled that he was scolded by the elder Binay.
“One time he called me and said : “Mario what is happening to the payment for Nancy’s cake?” Hechanova said during the third hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon sub-committee on the Makati City Hall II parking building yesterday.
Asked if he thinks that the younger Binay supplies the cakes, Hechanova said: “That’s what I think since he is following up for the payment.”
After the Senate hearing, the neophyte lawmaker reiterated her earlier denial that she benefited from the cakes. Mario Hechanova is full of lies,” Nancy said.
“I will say it again that I dont own any bakeshop and I dont know how to bake. The immediate family of the incumbent official is prohibited to do any transactions in the city hall due to conflict of interests.” she added.
The allegations of cake overpricing surfaced when lawyer Renato Bondal testified at the first hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon sub-committee.
Bondal said the cakes cost more than P1,000, but the Makati City govt said they were only worth about P300.
THE PHILIPPINE STAR
