Koko Pimentel: Up to Trillanes to pursue lead that Limlingan, Baloloy out of PHL

Senator Aquilino Pimentel III is leaving it up to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV to pursue his lead on the supposed flight of two of Vice President Jejomar Binay’s most trusted aides, who disappeared in the middle of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee’s investigation on the allegations of corruption against him.

 

In an interview over dzBB radio, Pimentel said he will only be relying on the records that will be provided by the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) on Binay's longtime financial officer, Gerry Limlingan, and his personal secretary, Eduviges “Ebeng” Baloloy, when the subpanel resumes its hearings on Tuesday, July 7.

 

“Maybe on Tuesday si Senator Trillanes ay puwedeng sabihin ang basis ng kanyang report. Mag-iimbita rin tayo ng taga-BID para sa kanilang (Limlingan and Baloloy) official records pero doon lang ako magbe-base sa official records. Kung may official info si Senator Trillanes ay i-pursue na lang niya,” he said.

 

Citing information from sources, Trillanes claimed that Limlingan and Baloloy have fled the country and are now hiding separately overseas. Immigration records, however, show otherwise.

 

The Senate has ordered the arrest of Limlingan and Baloloy over the repeated failure to attend the subpanel’s hearings on the allegations against Binay.

 

Aside from their alleged involvement in the elder Binay’s questionable dealings, Limlingan and Baloloy were also named in the report released by the Anti-Money Laundering Council as owners of several bank accounts which received huge deposits, and transferred large sums of US dollars to banks in Canada from 2008 to 2014.

 

The Court of Appeals has frozen 242 bank accounts and insurance policies belonging to Vice President Binay, some members of his family and close associates such as Limlingan and Baloloy, who are suspected of being his dummies.

 

Baloloy's paycheck

 

In a separate radio interview, Senator Nancy Binay said neither she nor other members of her family know where Limlingan and Baloloy are.

 

“Personally, wala akong alam. Pati kapatid ko at si VP Binay, hindi rin alam kung nasaan sila,” she said.

 

While Pimentel isn’t keen on grilling the BID over Limlingan and Baloloy’s alleged disappearance, he said he will invite representatives from Makati City’s Human Resource Development office to shed light on the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s report that Binay’s personal secretary continues to receive her salary even if she has not been seen for months.

 

He said the panel can also ask about Baloloy’s supposed receipt of her paycheck during Tuesday’s hearing if there are resource persons who are qualified to answer the questions.

 

“Puwedeng itanong ‘yun kung may resource person tayong makakasagot noon pero naka-subpoena na tayo eh. Hindi ko alam kung mayroong naka-subpoena na makakasagot [tungkol kay Baloloy],” Pimentel said.

 

The subpanel can also look into Baloloy’s employment history and daily time record to determine if she has been showing up for work, the senator added.

 

According to a Philippine Daily Inquirer report published on Saturday, Baloloy remains on Makati City’s payroll and apparently received a check for her retirement benefits two days before Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay stepped down from his post last week in obedience of the suspension order issued by the Office of the Ombudsman. — JDS, GMA News