LAGUNA, Philippines – As he returned to one of his vote-rich bailiwicks, Vice President Jejomar Binay sought to woo Laguna residents by picturing how the end of his presidency would look like. 

Binay dedicated a bulk of his 15-minute sortie speech late Thursday night, April 28, to depicting the state of the Philippines by the end of his presidency in 2022, if he wins on May 9.

“‘Yung pong pagka-Pilipino, sa administrasyong Jojo Binay, taas-noo na ipagmamalaki ng bawat Pilipino na siya ay isang Pilipino. Sa madaling salita, ang administrasyong Jojo Binay, ay nagawa ang ating bansa na maunlad at ang bawat Pilipino ay angat ang buhay,” said Binay. 

(Under Jojo Binay’s administration, every Filipino would be proud of being a Filipino. In other words, a Jojo Binay administration would have improved the country and uplifted the life of every Filipino.)

He based this prediction on the plans and programs he envisioned under his watch.

“Magdagdag ho ako ng budget para marami pang mga kababayan nating mahirap ay magkaroon ng disenteng sariling bahay (We will allocate additional fundsso more of our poor countrymen will have their own decent homes),” said the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) standard-bearer in San Pablo City.

“Sa kalusugan, unang-una, wala na hong mamamatay sa sakit ang isang mahirap, wala na ho. Lahat ay mabubuhay dahil sa libre ang gamot, libre ang ospital. Yan ho ang mararanasan sa administrasyong Binay,” added the Vice President.

(In health, first of all, no one would die because they are poor. Everyone will get free medicine and services from the hospital. That is what you will experience under a Binay administration.)

It was the same speech he made during the opening segment of the last presidential debate in Pangasinan a few days before, when candidates where asked to describe how the Philippines would look like 6 years after their presidency.

In Laguna, Binay said he would select experienced public servants for his Cabinet, like reappointing former finance secretary Margarito Teves and former trade secretary Peter Favila.  He also plans to appoint PAG-IBIG president Darlene Berberabe as the next Education secretary. (READ: Binay to give Cabinet to ex-Arroyo officials) 

He promised jobs in the agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism sectors as well as a crackdown on smuggling.

Political analysts noted that Binay wooed his core supporters during the presidential face-off, but he supposedly failed to convince the undecided and so-called soft voters of the 2016 elections. 

Can Laguna deliver votes for Binay?

Laguna, which has 1,675,366 voters, is considered a bailiwick of the UNA standard-bearer.

In the 2010 vice presidential race, Binay gote 560,978 in the province against the 328,130 votes of his closest rival then, Liberal Party’s Manuel “Mar” Roxas II.

The two find themselves in a different situation in the 2016 presidential race – Binay and Roxas are trailing behind current front-runner Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Grace Poe in the latest ABS-CBN poll.

Still, dismissed Laguna govenor ER Ejercito, who is seeking reelection under UNA, claims Binay will get more than half a million votes again in his province. 

“Kasi naikot na namin lahat e, 674 barangays. Lahat ng palengke nag-boodle fight na kami (We were able to tour all 674 barangays. We were able to host boodle fights in all markets)” said Ejercito.

“Malaki ang tiwala nila na sa Makati, nagawa niyang maganda ang buhay. Laguna gaganda ang buhay. Sa Pilipinas, gaganda ang buhay kay Jojo Binay,” Ejercito added.

(They trust the Vice President because in Makati, life is good. In Laguna and in the Philippines, life will be better through Jojo Binay.)

Ejercito is running for governor against incumbent Ramil Hernandez, the candidate of the local coalition of LP and Nacionalista Party in the province. (READ: In Laguna, it’s NP-LP vs UNA)

During his Laguna sortie, Binay was accompanied by UNA Senate bets lawyer Allan Montano, Parañaque Councilor Alma Moreno, ex-Special Action Force commander Getulio Napeñas Jr, broadcaster Rey Langit, and Sarangani Representative Manny Pacquiao, whose legendary status in boxing has easily made him a crowd favorite in sorties. – Rappler.com