Makati Science High issue prejudged on ‘mere say so’, ‘cursory’ inspection – Binay camp

Some senators may have already prejudged alleged overpricing in the construction of the Makati Science High School, the camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay said.

In a statement released on Saturday, Binay's spokesman Joey Salgado insisted that the contract for the P1.33-billion MSHS went through public bidding and has passed a government audit.

"But on the mere say so of Renato Bondal and after a cursory inspection, the senators have already made conclusions of overpricing," Salgado said. "This is no surprise to us since the senators have pre-judged the issue from the start."

The project was allegedly overpriced by P862 million or by almost 300 percent.

He said this after Senators Aquilino Pimentel III and Antonio Trillanes IV inspected the new building on Saturday.

Trillanes told reporters after the inspection that documents they received from the Makati City government indicated that each classroom is worth P24.6 million. But he said the cost for each room should have been much less.

"Sabi ko nga, kung extraordinarily impressive 'yung classrooms, it could justify the cost, pero based on what we saw, mas maganda siya compared sa mga ibang public high schools pero [the classrooms are] really ordinary," he said.

When asked if the price of the building was justified, Trillanes said: "Definitely not, nakita naman natin na even the five-star hotels won't cost that much to build a room..."

For his part, Senator Pimentel said that while he is satisfied with the construction of the building, there are some issues that need to be addressed.

"Compared to the Makati Parking Building II, I'm satisfied with what I have seen, sa tingin ko – well, I am not an engineer, am a lawyer – mukha namang matibay... 'yung staircases mukhang safe para sa mga bata," he said, referring to the Makati City Hall Building II that was the initial subject of the Senate probe into alleged overpricing in Makati City project.

However, Salgado said, "Bondal's outrageous claim is not anchored on logic but on fuzzy math. He conveniently overlooks the fact that the total construction cost includes the cost of the school's foundation, finishing, and facilities."

"His claim of overpricing in both Building 2 and Makati Science High School falls into the same category. It's guesswork or 'hula-hula' that won't pass scrutiny in a court of law," he added.

Among the allegations of corruption hurled against Binay are the supposed overpricing of Makati City Hall Building II, rigging bids and receiving kickbacks from the transactions the Makati City government entered into during his term as mayor.
 
The vice president is also accused of owning a sprawling property in Rosario, Batangas and a log cabin in Tagaytay Highlands, properties that are not indicated in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.

Binay has repeatedly denied all the accusations saying these a all part of an operation to discredit him and diminish his chances of winning in the 2016 presidential elections. — JDS, GMA News