Stolen health funds could have benefitted Makati residents – Cayetano

9,000% overpriced 

Vice President Jojo with a special friend.

Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter “Companero” S. Cayetano said Makati City residents had been shortchanged of healthcare benefits after the Commission on Audit (COA) bared an overprice of more than 9,000% in several hospital equipment purchased by the local government.

"This means barya barya na lang ang umaabot sa mga residente ng Makati sa laki ng overprice ayon sa COA. Lalo sanang napaganda ang mga proyekto kung walang tongpats o walang kurakot. Ang kailangan ng mga Pilipino ay mga opisyal na aaksyon nang walang korupsyon,” Cayetano said.

COA Commissioner Heidi Mendoza revealed during Thursday’s Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee hearing that several medical equipment purchased by the local government of Makati during the term of Dra. Elenita Binay, wife of Vice President Jejomar Binay and mother of incumbent Mayor Junjun Binay, were overpriced by more than P61.2 million.

Mendoza said a special task force discovered that medical equipment purchased for the Ospital ng Makati back in 2000 to 2001 were bought for P70.56 million when the actual worth was only P9.31 million.

What is also appalling are the purchases of the following: autoclaves/sterilizer for P1,465,000 when the price is only P16,000 l; fetal monitoring system for P2,680,000 but originally priced P538,000; regular hospital bed purchased at P148,000 and priced at only P9,032.76; ICU bed for P545,000 when its price is only P34,123.76; Orthopaedics bed for P480,000 when it is only worth P24,087.36; ultrasound machine priced at only P1,299,750 abd purchased at an overpriced P7,980,000; and hospital cabinets worth only P2,258 purchased at P17,850.

“Ang serbisyong pinangako nila sa bayan ay dapat hindi nauuwi sa nakaw na yaman,” the senator said as he challenged anew Vice President Binay to produce his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) and subject himself to questioning from the members of the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee.

Cayetano said it was the residents of Makati who suffered because of the “pattern of corruption” under the leadership of the Binay family.

“Panahon na ng pagbabago. Hindi katanggap-tanggap ang maling pamamalakad sa Makati. Hindi dapat nakukuntento sa barya o pa-tingi-tingi ang mga residente dito,” Cayetano stressed. ###

Cayetano: Alleged Binay dummy supplied 'overpriced' beds to OsMak

If the connection is proven to be far from being mere coincidences, Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter “Companero” S. Cayetano said Vice President Jejomar Binay and his alleged "dummy" for the P1.2-billion Batangas estate should do more than make general denials and sweeping "catch-all" explanations because the crime of plunder is a serious offense.

Cayetano made this statement after alleged Binay dummy Antonio Tiu had been mentioned in the Senate hearing on the overpriced P2.7-billion Makati parking building as the same supplier of the allegedly overpriced hospital beds for the Ospital ng Makati (OsMak) more than 10 years ago.

"Is this just a mere coincidence? Klarong klaro na ang link ni Mr. Antonio Tiu sa pamilyang Binay. They go way back. How else can the Vice President and his spokesmen explain this?" Cayetano said.

He said Filipino families, particularly those from Makati, deserve no less than action without corruption from public officials, including VP Binay.

"When you're a public official, you put the interests of Filipino families above yourself and your family. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the VP and his family. Malayo na sana ang narating ng perang pilit tinatago ng mga Binay kung ito ay napunta para sa edukasyon, gamot, at mga kalsada," the senator added.

In the testimony of Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Heidi Mendoza before the Blue Ribbon sub-committee, she revealed that several medical equipment purchased by the local government of Makati for OsMak back in 2000 and 2001 were overpriced by more than P61 million. The city mayor then was Dra. Elenita Binay, wife of the Vice President and mother of incumbent Makati Mayor Junjun Binay.

Mendoza said among those overpriced included hospital beds purchased by the Makati government from Mabuhay 2000 Enterprises, Inc, now known as AgriNurture Inc. (ANI), where Tiu is also the CEO.

Mendoza said 172 regular hospital beds were overpriced by close to P24 million, ICU beds were overpriced by P510,876.24 each, and orthopaedics beds were also overpriced by P455,912.64 per unit.

"According to the COA report of Commissioner Mendoza, Mr. Tiu 'verbally admitted' that they were the ones who supplied the hospital beds for OsMak. Paano kaya naging isang line of business ang agri-tourism at pagsupply ng kama?" Cayetano asked.

"Sumisingaw na ang bulok na sistema ng korupsyon sa Makati. Habang barya-barya lang ang binibigay para sa mga residente ng Makati, milyon o bilyon ang napupunta sa mga Binay. Ang kailangan ng taumbayan ay lider na umaaksyon na walang korupsyon, hindi yung pinagkakakitaan bawat aksyon,” he stressed.###