Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III shot back at Vice President Jejomar Binay after the latter challenged him to man up and dared him to investigate the various housing programs he instituted as former head of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC).
In a letter directly addressed to Pimentel’s office, Binay criticized Pimentel for requesting an audit of the different shelter agencies under the HUDCC which he headed after he announced his resignation from the Aquino Cabinet.
The vice president accused Pimentel of doing it as part of a demolition job he and other senators have started against him.
“I read in the papers that you have requested an audited of the different shelter agencies under the HUDC which I headed,” Binay reportedly said in the letter which bore the seal of the Office of the Vice President.
“Obviously your statement is but part of the demolition by perception employed by you and your Senate cohorts for the last ten months. I hope this is not a bluff. I dare you magpakalalaki ka (man up). I expect nothing less than a continuation of your demolition campaign against me,” the vice president stated.
But Pimentel explained it would be the Commission on Audit (COA) that would conduct an audit of his performance as chair of the HUDCC and other housing agencies, plus his being Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers concerns.
He also clarified that his request is not related to the ongoing Senate blue ribbon sub-committee’s investigation into the anomalies committed by the Binays in Makati city.
“When he resigned, I read a release somewhere, I think released by his camp, about the milestones of his performance as HUDCC chair. And then I asked my friends in Cagayan de Oro about the status of the housing programs for the Sendong victims. The feedback I received was that not all were happy; not all were satisfied,” Pimentel said in a phone interview.
“So it’s only a logical proposal to conduct the performance audit, if that milestones released by his office is accurate or not,” the senator added.
MANILA BULLETIN
