Binay still bats for democracy, human rights

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Jejomar Binay remains committed to fight for democracy and protect human rights especially of the poor Filipinos.

Binay’s camp made the statement yesterday in response to President Aquino’s remarks that the Vice President “is no longer the same person that he knew.”

“We find the President’s statement in Makati last Friday unfortunate,” United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) communications director Joey Salgado said.

“Vice President Binay’s faith in democracy remains as strong as ever. His commitment to human rights and uplifting the lives of the poor emanates from the spirit of EDSA 1986,” Salgado added.

Salgado criticized the President for speaking before a small group of “opportunists” instead of the real people of Makati who could share the real situation of the city.

“In the few months that the President’s allies have run Makati, the people have experienced deterioration in the delivery of services and the return of fixers at city hall,” the UNA official said.

Binay: Poe, Duterte unfit for presidency

Binay maintained that Sen. Grace Poe is not qualified to become president as she lacks the experience in leading the country.

During a sortie in Tingloy, Batangas yesterday, Binay said Filipinos would regret voting for Poe, whom he referred to as the “American girl.”

“First of all, one of the characteristics of a good leader is his or her love for the country,” said Binay.

After saying in the last presidential debate that both of them are qualified for the presidency, Binay appeared to have changed his mind as he continued his attacks against Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

Binay called Duterte a liar for flip-flopping on his statements in connection with extrajudicial killings.

“Make up your mind, berdugong mamamatay tao,” Binay told Duterte. “The presidency is not for the unprincipled and the inconsistent. It is not for liars, braggarts and merciless killers.”

The Vice President issued the statement after the tough-talking mayor denied that he had committed extrajudicial killings, saying he was referring to those who died in bloody operations against syndicates.

Duterte also denied involvement in the Davao Death Squad and said it was a gimmick by his political rivals.

Binay reminded Duterte that he admitted being part of the death squad in an interview done by a local television program on May 24, 2015.

“Killing people accused of violating the law is inhumane. This is not in accordance with the rule of God and the rule of law,” Binay said.

“We do not need a leader who disregards the sanctity of human life and whose only solution to the problem of poverty is to kill the poor,” he added.

Last week, Duterte dislodged Binay in pre-electoral polls, with some pundits noting that the elections will be a two-way race between the Davao mayor and Sen. Grace Poe.

But Binay’s spokesman Rico Quicho said the issue of extrajudicial killings is a legitimate one that has to be addressed.

“The Vice President made it clear that we should never put the decision of taking someone’s life in our hands,” Quicho said.

Binay’s camp believes that the Vice President will win the elections by a wide margin despite a drop in recent surveys.

Quicho said Binay has a core network of supporters who are continuously growing as election day nears.

During Friday’s proclamation rally of the local candidates of the National Unity Party and Lakas-CMD in Quezon, Binay expressed confidence that his organization and field work could win him the presidency with four million votes.

“Just like when I ran for vice president (in 2010), at the end of the day, I think I would win by seven to 10 percent margin, maybe around four million votes,” Binay said.

He said this is the reason why local candidates should stick with him.

“You will not regret campaigning for me. If we liken it to a cockfight, all bets are on us,” he said.

Meanwhile, Binay paid tribute to modern-day Filipino heroes as the country commemorated Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) yesterday.

Binay urged Filipinos to honor those who have shown courage and are continuously serving the country in their own ways.

He cited the overseas Filipino workers, farmers and police officers who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the country.    – With Helen Flores