MANILA, Philippines – Senator Nancy Binay was named the new president of the United Nationalist Alliance, the party of her father, former vice president Jejomar Binay.

In a statement on Thursday, September 20, UNA said the senator was unanimously chosen as the new president on Wednesday, September 12, during the UNA national leaders conference held in Makati.

The other officers include:

• Former vice president Binay – chairman
• Senator Gregorio Honasan II – vice president
• JV Bautista – secretary ceneral
• Former finance secretary Gary Teves – national treasurer

Senator Binay and Honasan are the highest ranking government officials in the party. Honasan, however, is a graduating senator in 2019 after holding two consecutive terms. Binay is set to run for reelection next year.

Senator Binay accepted her new post and vowed to continue UNA’s advocacies.

“Sa araw na ito, bilang bagong pangulo ng partido, buong puso kong tinatanggap ang hamon na isulong ang tunay na pagbabago. Sa ating pagpupulong na ito, at pagbabalik-tanaw, nawa’y hindi kumupas ang alab nating maghain ng mga programang tutugon sa pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan,” Binay said.

(Today, as your new party president, I wholeheartedly accept the challenge to pursue real change. In this meeting, I hope our fervor to deliver programs that would address the needs of our countrymen would never fade.)

UNA was formally launched as a political party in July 2015. The former vice president ran for president under UNA in 2016, with Honasan as his running mate but lost to President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo, respectively. – Rappler.com