MANILA, Philippines – A day after the short meeting between estranged political allies Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Francis Escudero, the senator dismissed allegations he is being disloyal to his presidential candidate, Senator Grace Poe.

Escudero said there were no politics involved in the meeting, saying they were only invited by a common friend. (READ: Escudero on meeting Binay in Davao: Not much talk, but ‘food was good’)

The vice presidential aspirant said the issues were orchestrated by groups who want to see the Poe-Escudero tandem fall apart and dismissed allegations the meeting is an act of betrayal against Poe.

“Pero, sa totoo lang, sa lahat ng tambalan, kami siguro ni Senator Grace ang may pinakamahabang pinagsamahan, pinakamatagal na nagsama at magkakilala kumpara sa ibang mga tandem. At kung may isyu mang ididikit diyan siguro mas didikit ‘yan sa ibang tambalan na kulang o hindi naman gaanong kalapit ‘yung kanilang relasyon o pinanggagalingan,” Escudero said on Monday, October 26, referring to the 2004 presidential polls, when he was the campaign spokesman of Poe’s father, Fernando Poe Jr, in his failed presidential bid.

(In truth, out of all the tandems, the tandem of Sen. Grace and I have the longest relationship. We have known each other compared to the others. And if there’s an issue like that, it would be more applicable to other tandems that have no close ties.)

Escudero said Poe has nothing to worry about. After all, he said it is inevitable to see other candidates during the campaign.

“Napag-usapan na namin kahapon ‘yun, kasama ng ibang pinag-uusapan namin. Wala naman.  Dahil sa kurso ng campaign at pre-campaign, magkikita at magkikita naman talaga ang mga kandidato kapag naimbitahan sila sa pare-parehong lugar. At hindi naman rason ‘yun para gamitin at gawing issue ninuman,” Escudero said.

(We talked about it already yesterday, among all the other issues we discussed. Nothing. In the course of the campaign and pre-campaign, candidates would really see each other if they are invited to the same places. And it should not be an issue.)

Past is past?

Despite issues in the past, Binay and Escudero now said there are no fights between them, only political differences.

“Di naman kami nagkagalit, nagkaiwanan [lang] ng partido,” Binay said.

(We did not become enemies. It just so happens we had a change in political parties.)

“Wala naman kaming pinag-awayan. Hindi lang kami magkakampi ngayon, pero wala kaming pinag-awayan,” the senator said.

(We did not fight over anything. It’s just that we are not allies now but we had no quarrels between us.)

Escudero supported the Aquino-Binay tandem in 2010, or what became known as “Noy-Bi.” He even appeared in political advertisements to support Binay, a move widely seen to have caused Binay’s victory.

In 2013, Escudero and Poe were initially drafted in the senatorial lineup of the United Nationalist Alliance. The two, however, skipped their sorties and joined the events of the administration slate.

Both Escudero and Poe have hit Binay and his family at the height of the corruption allegations against them, with Escudero saying he was unaware of the allegations raised against Binay when he endorsed him in 2010. (READ: A long way from ‘Noybi’: Chiz weighs in on Binay)

The Binay camp, for its part, first publicized questions on Poe’s residency. – Rappler.com