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United Opposition (UNO) president and Makati City Mayor Jejomar
Binay is urging Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila to
apologize to Tagoloan Mayor Paulino Emano and Villanueva Mayor
Julliette Uy, both from Misamis Oriental, over the controversy which
spawned through charges of bribery and extortion involving the two
mayors and Korean firm Hanjin Heavy Industries.
This developed after Favila had issued a
statement saying some local governments are hampering the entry of
foreign investments largely because of “parochial issues,”
referring to the controversy involving the two mayors and Hanjin.
“For a member of the Cabinet to make
such an indictment of local governments in the absence of an
impartial appraisal of the circumstances is inappropriate,” Binay
said.
At the time Favila made the statement,
which was published in several dailies, the police had yet to
conduct an investigation into the charges made by Hanjin that the
local officials tried to extort money from them.
Emano, for his part, has reportedly said
that Hanjin tried to bribe him, although he later clarified his
statement saying he was misquoted.
Binay lamented that when the issue first
broke, ranking Cabinet officials were quick to defend Hanjin.
Binay also said that by immediately taking
the side of the company, the administration was sending a message to
local governments that it is more concerned with keeping investors.
“Secretary Favila should have been more
circumspect, and in this case, he needs to apologize to Mayor Emano
and Mayor Juliette Uy,” he added.
-- Jayson Luna Cruz
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