DAGUPAN CITY—Exactly a month after he issued the challenge during the presidential debate in Cebu, presidential candidate Jejomar Binay reminded his four opponents to sign a joint waiver to have the Anti-Money Laundering Council scrutinize their bank deposits and submit themselves to a physical and mental checkup.
In a news conference a few hours before the last presidential debate was held, Binay showed the joint waiver with only his signature appearing and the spaces for the signatures of his rivals remaining blank.
Duterte, in the previous debate last month in Cebu, took on the challenge and said he was willing to sign the waiver.
A month after he made the promise, Duterte’s signature remained unaffixed.
Binay lamented that a year ago, the AMLC came out with a supposedly confidential report about his alleged billions in ill-gotten wealth.
“Ito’y pinabulaanan ko. At ang hamon ko noon sa AMLC, patunayan ninyo ang inyong alegasyon. Sa loob ng anim na buwan, binusisi ng AMLC, hindi lang ang aking bank accounts kundi pati ang sa aking pamilya. Pati na ang bank account ng Office of the Vice President kung saan ako pinapasweldo bilang pangalawang pangulo, binusisi ng AMLC. Kasama rin, sabi ko nga, ang bank accounts ng aking mga anak at apo at mga kaibigan,” he said.
“After six months, what did the AMLC admit to the court? There was only one account that contained only P1.7 million in my name, not 242 accounts containing billions.”
Binay said he told the court he would not touch the single bank account to show his “good faith.”
“I stand by my position that the P1.7 million did not come from corruption,” he said. “Ni minsan, hindi ako nagsamantala sa taumbayan.”
This was for this reason, he said, that in the previous debate, he signed a waiver allowing the AMLC to scrutinize his bank accounts, including those of the members of his family.
“I asked my fellow candidates to sign the waiver,” he said.
“Kung wala tayong itinatago, kung lahat tayo ay naniniwala na dapat ihayag natin ang lahat sa ating mga kababayan, kung lahat tayo nagsasabi na pabor tayo sa freedom of information, pirmahan ninyo ang waiver. Magpa-AMLC din kayo,” he said.
“Ngunit hanggang ngayon ni isa sa kanila ay walang pumipirma.
“Kaya ngayon, sa araw ng aming pagkikitang muli, muli ko ring inuulit ang aking hamon: pirmahan ninyo ang waiver nang magkaalaman kung sino talaga ang may tinatago sa taumbayan.”
Binay also reiterated his challenge to his rivals to show their medical certificates that would prove they are of sound body and mind to run for president.
