DAVAO CITY—The live-in partner of Rep. Antonio Floirendo Jr. said Thursday that the row between Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and the congressman representing the 2nd District of Davao del Norte boils down to “greed for wealth, power and influence.”
“Personally I know it’s deeper than what is being printed in the papers,” Cathy Binag said. “It all boils down to greed. Greed for wealth, power and influence.”
Although she confirmed that her spat with Alvarez’s girlfriend, Jennifer Maliwanag Vicencio, had put a strain on the relationship between the two lawmakers, she said it was “petty” for two mature men “to be burning bridges of friendship over a girls’ spat.”
Binag said she had an altercation with Alvarez’s girlfriend, Vicencio, during last year’s Maskara festival in Bacolod that soured the relationship between the two allies of President Rodrigo Duterte.
She then said that her dispute with Vicencio “spiraled out of control and one thing led to another.”
After the altercation, Alvarez suddenly sought to investigate the Floirendo family for alleged graft in its contract with the Bureau of Corrections.
Binag, however, said she could not say if the two events were related.
“Let me just make it clear that as to whether the incident with Miss Vicencio is correlated with Speaker’s filing of case against my partner is beyond me,” Binag said.
In a statement, Floirendo’s Tagum Agriculture Development Co., Inc. (Tadeco) said what it had with BuCor was not a lease agreement but a joint venture aimed at rehabilitating the inmates at the Davao Penal Colony.
The company also denied any wrongdoing.
In an earlier statement, Floirendo said he and Alvarez started taking separate paths when a rumor said he was behind the move to oust Alvarez as speaker, to be replaced by former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Floirendo denied the allegations that he was involved in a move to oust Alvarez.
Finance Assistant Secretary Paola Alvarez, the speaker’s daughter, denounced Binag’s remarks in a statement.
“My family and I are shocked that the spin on the issues has become so crass and juvenile,” she said. “It is incredible how personal relationships are exploited by Rep. Tonyboy Floirendo’s live-in partner, Ms. Cathy Binag, to twist an otherwise simple question of facts. It’s completely appalling!”
“We prefer to keep our personal lives private despite my father, Speaker Bebot Alvarez, and I being in public service and we intend to leave it that way.
“We hope Ms. Binag will respect that and stop dragging us into her personal issues.
“At the same time, it deeply hurts my family that the longstanding and cherished friendship with Rep. Floirendo is heading this way.
“But adults that they are, we expect the parties concerned to address the factual issues head-on. After all, in public service, public interest is paramount and goes beyond the deepest bonds of friendship.
Alvarez was unapologetic for having an affair outside of his marriage and said he was ready to face any disbarment case that might be filed against him as a result of it.
“Diyos ko naman. Kayo naman, sino bang walang girlfriend? [My God, you people, who doesn’t have a girlfiend?]” Alvarez, a lawyer, told reporters after admitting his relationship with Vicencio.
Alvarez said he is no longer talking to his wife Emelita, who is president of the Congressional Spouses Foundation Inc. But he said his marriage with the wife has yet to be annulled.
Alvarez said his romantic relationship with Vicencio has been going on for some time, but refused to say how long.
He also shrugged off suggestions that he was flaunting his affair.
“Being Speaker, I’m enjoying the ride,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez maintained that he filed the graft complaint and sought a probe against Floirendo due to the damage caused by Floirendo’s banana company.
He denied the filing of the complaint was an offshoot of the spat between their girlfriends.