Binay’s no-show: No big deal

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Jejomar Binay was absent during the performance contract signing of Cabinet members last Wednesday, triggering anew speculations of a fall-out with President Aquino.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., however, said Binay should not be singled out because there were also others who were absent.

Coloma said he did not conduct any “attendance check” and would not know who were present and absent among the Cabinet members and why they were not around.

Coloma also downplayed the supposed wedge between Aquino and Binay, even after the President said he did not offer the Vice President any help in the Senate investigation against him.

Binay’s spokesman Joey Salgado said the Vice President has to attend the gathering of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) on that day.

“The speech before the PCCI last Wednesday had been set in advance and provided the Vice President the opportunity to interact with the business community on their concerns,” Salgado said.

Binay also went to Mindanao this week amid the continuing Senate investigation on the corruption allegations against him.

An earlier statement from the Office of the Vice President said Binay chose to “bring the issues being thrown at him by his detractors directly to the public (and discuss) the allegations against him with the people.”

Binay is being investigated by the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee on the alleged overpricing of the Makati City Hall building 2 and his alleged ownership of a piggery and estate in Rosario, Batangas.

He denied owning the estate, saying that he only leased a portion of the property for his piggery named JCB Farms that he had sold before becoming Vice President.

Binay has challenged Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, a member of the Senate subcommittee investigating him, to a debate to answer all the allegations.

Former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada said Binay should not waste his time debating with Trillanes.

Estrada believed Binay is being ganged up on by his political detractors who do not want him to take off on his long announced plan to run for president in 2016. – Janvic Mateo, Jose Rodel Clapano