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The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s search for two of Vice President Jejomar Binay’s alleged dummies continues, with the panel reaffirming its orders to arrest them and nine other people in connection with a subcommittee’s corruption probe implicating Binay and his family.
Gerry Limlingan and Ebeng Baloloy
The committee on Tuesday ordered the arrest of Gerardo “Gerry” Limlingan Jr. and Eduviges “Ebeng” Baloloy for contempt over their failure to attend the subcommittee’s hearings, which have been going on for a year.
Limlingan and Baloloy, under whose names Binay allegedly kept secret bank accounts, have been invited to the probe since its early days but never surfaced.
The two Binay aides, who were also accused of delivering to Binay his kickbacks from allegedly overpriced infrastructure projects in Makati City, are rumored to have fled the country, although immigration records show otherwise.
9 others accused
Nine other people were also included in the arrest order, which was announced at a committee meeting on Tuesday, for snubbing the investigation.
They are Erlinda, Irish, Irene, and Kim Tun of the Chong family, who allegedly fronted for Binay in purchasing a property that used to belong to the military; Laureano Gregorio Jr., whom Binay supposedly used to conceal his ownership of an estate in Batangas; Dr. Jack Arroyo, Binay’s alleged dummy in the deal between the University of Makati’s nursing college and STI; and Marguerite Lichnock, Limlingan’s wife and another alleged Binay dummy.
James Tiu and his wife, Anne Lorraine, who contributed tens of millions of pesos to Binay’s 2010 campaign, were also cited in contempt and ordered arrested.
“We have to enforce the orders of arrest so that the integrity, the credibility, and the efficiency of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee is maintained and preserved,” Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, the subcommittee’s chair, told reporters.
Help from police
Pimentel said the Senate would seek the help of police and the National Bureau of Investigation in finding the resource persons.
He reiterated that the investigation will not stop until Limlingan is found and brought to the Senate to testify.
“Mr. Limlingan is the principal absentee resource person or witness. It’s difficult to imagine terminating the hearings without bringing Mr. Limlingan before the subcommittee,” he said. “He will be given a chance to explain, and then we will also be given a chance to ask him questions.”
Hearing continues
The subcommittee will hold its 24th hearing on Wednesday, August 26.
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, one of the senators spearheading the probe, said the hearing would focus on how Binay allegedly earned at least P400 million from contracts for security and janitorial services at Makati’s city hall bagged by companies supposedly being run by his dummies.
Trillanes earlier said the contracts were worth P1 billion a year.
“Conservative pa yang PHP400 million (That PHP400 million is just conservative estimate),” he said. ”Malalabas pa ‘yan bukas kung paano sila kumikita (Tomorrow we will show how they earn).”
Text: Ryan Chua, ABS-CBN News
Photos: News clip
This article has been re-published with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
