Makati overpricing issue far from over

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MANILA – The senate inquiry on the overpricing issues in Makati is still far from over as senators are yet to determine the truth on the statements gathered from the initial hearing conducted recently.

As both the accused and the accusers in the issue have already made their statement, the next step is to determine who among the two are stating the truth according to the blue ribbon subcommittee.

“Therefore, we’re going to find out who is telling the truth, whose side the truth falls on. We want objective truth from documents, from facts, from the flow, the timetable,” Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, chair of the blue ribbon subcommittee conducting the inquiry, was quoted in a Philippine Daily Inquirer report.

Pimentel also hopes to avoid any “political talk” as the inquiry progresses.

“There are many phases to this inquiry and as the phases continue, I hope there will be less and less political talk…. If they keep on repeating accusations already said, that’s taking advantage of the hearings for political purposes,” he added.

The issue involves the construction of an overpriced building in Makati that was started when Vice President Binay was still the Makati Mayor.

Binay, meanwhile, noted that his potential rivals for the presidency in the coming 2016 elections instigated the issue.

It could be noted that Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, a staunch critic of the Vice President and a rival of Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance, sought the inquiry.