The 6-month Freeze Period on Binay Assets

should not be a cause for jubilation

By Apolinario Villalobos

The media exploded the freezing of the Binay assets and those of their dummies that include bank deposits, securities and insurances for six months. The total amount involved is more than Php11B in 242 bank accounts. However, the aggrieved party was not notified formally about this and their lawyer failed to get a copy even from the office that issued the freeze order. Where is seriousness in all this process? Also, will the six months freeze period achieve its desired result? Who will stop the Binays from withdrawing their stashed wealth after six months?

The SOP in coordination was not observed when the office responsible for the freeze, did not bother to give a copy of the order to the concerned party. Meanwhile such negligence will surely give the aggrieved party a reason to use “technicalities” in asking a higher court for the lifting of the freeze. That is how dysfunctional the government and its agencies are!

On the other hand, the senator daughter, Nancy and their lawyer, a certain Certeza, vehemently denied such enormous amount because out of the total number of accounts in question, she says that only several are in the name of his father, the Vice-President. The problem with senator Binay is that she has been presuming that Filipinos are pea-brained, for what kind of fool will deposit embezzled money and assets in his own account? She forgot that there are people who are willing to be used as “conduit” or “dummy”. As a senator she should know this common scheme, as she was one of those who questioned Janet Lim Napoles during Senate hearings about scams involving pork barrel of lawmakers and ghost NGOs. To put an end to all the accusation, the family should bring out their dummies, especially, Limlingan, so that they can assume ownership to the said accounts.

What is incomprehensible is the short period of freezing, as if the ban has been slapped without seriousness. Six months is obviously not enough in view of the enormous amount involved and the gravity of the cases of graft and corruption against the Binays. Also, those who filed the request for the freeze are so naïve as not to perceive that the six months period is not enough to prevent the Binays from using their money for the forthcoming election in 2016, if this is their objective.

Along this line, the TRO issued by the court on the suspension of Junjun Binay as mayor of Makati, viewed to be unfair by many sectors as it will give the said mayor the opportunity to dispose documents related to his graft case, is still fresh in the mind of the Filipinos.  Presumably, this time, the court could have granted the freeze request on the Php11B, but only for a “convenient” period of six months to the advantage of the Binays who can easily withdraw their money as soon as the ban is lifted. The court is obviously very careful…..especially, as some of the rogues in robe have been exposed lately. In Pilipino, the appropriate statement for this action is: “pinagbigyan lang, para walang masabi”.