Binay hits Duterte’s anti-crime promise

MANILA, Philippines – After weeks without slamming the Davao City mayor, Vice President Jejomar Binay attacks the tough-talking Rodrigo Duterte because of his campaign promise to end crime within 3 to 6 months.

This comes days after Duterte overtakes Binay in a poll by The Standard.

Mara Cepeda reports. 

Days after he slipped to fourth spot in a presidential survey, Vice President Jejomar Binay slams poll front-runner Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte for his tough stance against drugs and criminality. 

For the first time, Binay attacks Duterte during a sortie in Quezon City. The Davao City mayor ties with Senator Grace Poe in the latest The Standard Poll.

In the same survey, Binay only ranks fourth.

Mara Cepeda reports.

JEJOMAR BINAY, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let’s not vote for someone whom we would regret later on. Why would we regret our decision? He already said, “I will kill everyone who I think went against the law!” Okay, so say you vote for him. But when you, your children, your spouse, or any of your loves ones become his victim, that’s when you will regret your vote. We should avoid reaching that point. 

Binay echoes the sentiment of his other rival, Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas, that Duterte’s promise to end crime within 3 to 6 months is impossible.

Duterte doesn’t explain how he plans to execute this promise. He has only said that his anti-crime campaign would be “bloody.”

According to the Binay,  due process will be lost if the country votes for Duterte.

JEJOMAR BINAY, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He’s saying he’ll end crime within 3-6 months probably because he would resort to extrajudicial killings left and right. When you say extrajudicial, you kill out of mere suspicion. And he would kill anyone – minors, women, children – as long as there is suspicion. Allegations, allegations, allegations. But that’s why we have courts! Only the court can decide if a person has done something against the law. Not the way Mayor Duterte does it, killing people out of suspicion.

Binay, a former human rights lawyer, says he would solve criminality by addressing poverty. 

JEJOMAR BINAY, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The problem on criminality, peace, and order can be resolved. We will be able to solve them by addressing the problem of poverty. But not through killing. 

During his QC sortie, Binay also visits the home of former undocumented OFW Mario Jucutan, who was finally able to return to the Philippines two days ago with the Vice President’s help.

Mario and his wife, Juanaria, were abused by their employers in Saudi Arabia. Juanaria was able to return to the country in 2011 but her husband was left behind to pay off their debts. He then suffered a series of mild strokes that impaired his speech and motor skills. 

JUANARIA JUCUTAN, BINAY SUPPORTER: When he suffered a more serious stroke, I already met someone who would help us. I felt he wouldn’t abandon us. He’s here now and he is the only one who helped – the Vice President. I thought I wouldn’t be able to bring back my husband alive.

For Juanaria, it was only Binay out of all the government offices and NGOs she visited who assisted her husband.

As Duterte gains more ground in the surveys, Binay’s numbers continue to go down. The United Nationalist Alliance standard-bearer is now revisiting the sectors he previously helped as former Makati mayor and now Vice President. Will these bring back support for Binay?

Mara Cepeda, Rappler, Quezon City.

 – Rappler.com