VP Binay: ‘Attacks against me weakening’

Bea Cupin

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VP Binay: ‘Attacks against me weakening’
Vice President Jejomar Binay claims the 'fairy tales' his detractors have spun against him have lost their spell, and that he maintains a strong foothold in the provinces

MANILA, Philippines – Decked in a Philippine Navy running singlet, Vice President Jejomar Binay did not seem to be bothered at all by the controversies surrounding him.

Ganoon lang ang nangyayari. May panggastos eh (That’s what’s happening. And it’s because they have money),” Binay told reporters on Tuesday, November 11 at the Navy headquarters in Taguig City, referring to what he believed to be a well-funded demolition job against him.

Binay, who turned 72 on November 11, faces the biggest corruption scandal to hit him in his nearly 30-year political career.

The Vice President faces plunder raps over an alleged overpriced Makati building, which sparked a Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee inquiry. Whistleblowers at the probe have taken turns accusing Binay of rigging bids, accepting kickbacks, and hiding his wealth through dummies and foreign bank accounts.

For Binay, the attacks have already peaked. “To be more accurate, it’s waning. It’s weakening,” he said.

Marami pang ipupukol….‘Yung kalabasan doon is kung [ano ang] factual eh. Pero napupunta na sila sa mga fairy tales. Laos na iyon (They may be throwing other things at me. But in the end, you rely on what’s factual. They’re veering towards fairy tales. It won’t sell anymore),” he added, referring to the senators and whistleblowers in the probe.

Binay, who was fresh off a morning jog with members of the Philippine Marines, also dismissed his dwindling survey numbers.

Dito sa survey na ito, kita mo ‘yung epekto ng media. Sa Metro Manila, ramdam na ramdam. Sa rural, hindi ramdam ‘yun (With these surveys, you’ll feel the impact of media. Media is more strongly felt in Metro Manila but not so much in rural areas),” he added.

A survey showed 79% of Filipinos wanted Binay to face the Senate. But the Vice President has repeatedly snubbed the invitation from the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee conducting the probe, and from the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee which it made just to accommodate his request.

Instead, Binay challenged Senator Antonio Trillanes IV to a debate, which the latter readily accepted. 

After involving the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas in the debate and several meetings attended by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV himself to finalize the event, Binay, on his birthday, nonchalantly told reporters he would not be taking part in the debate anymore.

All in the family

On Tuesday, Senator Nancy Binay admitted that at first, she was worried that the controversy would bring down her father, who is seeking the presidency in 2016.

FATHER, SON. The Binay patriarch is joined by son Makati Mayor Junjun Binay in a ‘boodle fight’ at the Navy headquarters on November 11, 2014. Both face plunder raps for an allegedly overpriced Makati building. Photo by Franz Lopez/Rappler

She said all her worries dissipated when they started going around the country. Senator Binay said that despite exposé after exposé against her father, they were received warmly wherever they went.

Binay’s wife and children have also been dragged into the mess.

Former city officials accused his wife and former Makati mayor Elenita Binay of merely continuing her husband’s corrupt ways in the city. (READ: Mrs Binay’s royal taste? ‘Kew Gardens,’ aircon piggery)

His son Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. allegedly accepted some of his father’s kickbacks as well.

Nancy, whistleblowers say, profited from the cakes the city gives it senior birthday celerbrants. Another Binay in politics, Makati Representative Abigail Binay, also allegedly used kickbacks from city projects to fund her re-election bid.

The Vice President’s youngest daughter, Joanna Marie, was mentioned during one hearing when Senator Alan Peter Cayetano used her Instagram posts as supposed proof that the Binays own a controversial 350-hectare property in Rosario, Batangas dubbed “Hacienda Binay.”

The Vice President and the senator’s only wish? Not to involve other family members, especially the non-political ones, in the controversy.

“Di na ako magtataka kung pagdating ng 2015, pati ‘yung mga anak ko, mga pamangkin ko, kasama na rin doon sa bibigyan nila ng allegations (I won’t be surprised if by 2015, they’ll start hurling accusations against my children and nephews and nieces),” Senator Binay said. – Rappler.com

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Bea Cupin

Bea is a senior multimedia reporter who covers national politics. She's been a journalist since 2011 and has written about Congress, the national police, and the Liberal Party for Rappler.