As UNA lags in surveys, Binay makes final pitch

Ayee Macaraig

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Defying surveys and a venue change, Binay makes a last pitch for his senatorial candidates in Caloocan

UNITED, ONE. Vice President Jejomar Binay calls his group “the party of the masses,” saying it is united unlike Team PNoy. Photo by Rappler/Ayee Macaraig

MANILA, Philippines – “We are the party of the masses.”

Despite a change in venue and the supposed harassment of his candidates, Vice President Jejomar Binay pushed through with a trip to Tala, Caloocan, to make a last ditch appeal to voters to support his party’s senatorial slate.

Binay harped on UNA’s pro-poor stance as he urged voters to choose candidates in the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) who, he said, will help fight poverty and hunger.

Mga kababayan, humihingi ang taumbayan sa buong Pilipinas ng pagbabago, ginhawa. Sinasabing gumaganda ang ekonomiya pero ‘di pa nararamdaman ng ating mga kababayan. Marami pang nagugutom, marami pang nahihirapan,” Binay said in a rally on Saturday, May 11. 

(My countrymen, all over the Philippines, people are asking for change, a better life. They say the economy is growing but our people do not feel that. There are still many people who are hungry, there are still many who remain poor.)

He added: “Iyan ang trabaho ng UNA, upang masusugan, magawan ng tamang paraan, para masolusyunan ang ganitong problema. UNA ang partido ng makamasa.”

(That is the job of UNA: to look for solutions to this problem. UNA is the party of the masses.)

As in UNA’s miting de avance in Manila on Friday, Binay again took a swipe at the administration slate Team PNoy. 

Ang grupo namin, buong-buo, united …’di katulad ng kabilang partido. ‘Di pa napupwesto, nagtutungayan na, nag-aaway na. Ang ibig sabihin noon, ‘pag sila nahalal, ang interes nila ay interes ng bawat isa. Ang UNA, iisa ang interes: labanan ang kagutuman at kahirapan.”

(Our group is one, united, unlike the other party. They are not even in office yet, they are already fighting. That means when they are elected, they will pursue their own interests. In UNA, our interest is to fight hunger and poverty.)

Binay referred to the accusation of Sen Loren Legarda that a fellow Team PNoy candidate was behind a supposed demolition job questioning how she declared her assets. Binay and UNA have defended Legarda from allegations she did not truthfully declare a New York condo in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth. 

It was UNA’s final rally for the campaign period. UNA leaders said the coalition chose Caloocan as the venue to bring its candidates closer to ordinary people.

Caloocan has 616,243 registered voters. Binay won in the city in his 2010 vice presidential bid. 

‘BETTER LEADERS.’ Binay endorses the candidacy of Caloocan’s Malapitan family against the LP’s Echiverris. Photo by Rappler/Ayee Macaraig

‘Despite ads and surveys’

UNA candidates took a defensive tone, with latest surveys showing the alliance lagging behind Team PNoy.

San Juan Rep JV Ejercito also pointed out that compared to the administration’s candidates, UNA bets have fewer ads.

“Napapansin niyo ba tuwing nanonood ng telebisyon, tuwing advertisement sinong napapanood niyo? Mga kalaban namin. Kami bihira niyo makita. Kami, pumupunta sa bawat probinsya, bawat siyudad upang personal na makita niyo. Kami personal.”

(Don’t you notice that every time you watch television, in advertisements who do you see? Our opponents. You rarely see us. We go to each province, each city to personally see you. Our approach is personal.)

UNA aired fewer ads than the administration ticket, but some of its candidates, particularly the children of its leaders, top the list of candidates who booked ads, based on a report of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.  

Ejercito also said that despite the other camp’s efforts to bring down UNA, he and Nancy Binay continue to perform well.

In the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, he and Nancy are the only UNA bets who made it to the list of “safe” candidates.

“Nasa survey ngayon kami sa grupo bagamat sinubukan nilang hilahin pababa, ‘di nila kinaya. Si Nancy Binay at ang inyong lingkod nasa taas pa rin. Dahil sa suporta at tulong niyo, kami at matibay. ‘Di na po tayo malalagasan. Tiyak na mananalo ang UNA.”

(Our group is now in surveys despite their efforts to pull us down. Nancy Binay and I are still on top. Because of your support and help. We are strong. We will not lose support. UNA will certainly win.)

Besides Vice President Binay and Ejercito, UNA bets Zambales Rep Mitos Magsaysay, Nancy Binay, resigned Sen Juan Miguel Zubiri, former Tarlac Gov Tingting Cojuangco and Sen Gregorio Honasan II joined the rally.

UNA campaign manager Navotas Rep Tobias “Toby” Tiangco and stalwart Sen Jinggoy Estrada also helped push the alliance’s ticket.

CHANGE VENUE. UNA changes the venue of its Caloocan rally after LP Mayor Recom Echiverri supposedly gave its allies a hard time in securing a permit for the covered courts.

Venue dispute

Binay also endorsed the candidacy of UNA’s local bets led by Caloocan Rep Oscar Malapitan, who is running for Caloocan Mayor against the Liberal Party’s (LP) Ricojudge Echiverri.

UNA moved its rally to Glorietta Park, an open area, after initially planning to hold it in the nearby gym. The alliance said Caloocan Mayor Recom Echiverri, Ricojudge’s father, gave their local allies a hard time in securing a permit.

UNA said the local LP sponsored a dance competition to be held in the gym.

Binay blasted the Echiverris over the incident.

“Ngayon lang ako nakarinig, ang covered courts ay hahatiin. Meron kaming permit, hahatiin pa. Ang nakakatuwa dito, maglalagay pa ng sound system. Meron pang sasabay sa aming rally.” (This is the first time I heard that they will divide the covered courts. We have a permit but they will still divide it. What is amusing is they will even put their own sound system. They will also mount their own rally.)

“Nangyari po iyan noong Martial Law pero iba na. [Ako], produkto ng martial law, ‘pag kami tinatakot niyo, lalo kaming manlalaban. ‘Di kami aatras diyan.”

(That happened during Martial Law but times have changed. I am a product of martial law. When you intimidate us, we fight. We will not back down.)

Binay said word even spread that he will not attend the event.

“Wala sa aming bokabularyo iyon. Kami ay ‘di marunong mang-iwan. Kami ay lalaban.” (That is not in our vocabulary. We do not abandon our allies. We fight.) – Rappler.com  

 

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