Jun-jun Binay on political dynasties, legacies & single parenthood

Much of what people undergo in at least seven decades, Makati councilor Jejomar “Jun-jun” Binay, Jr., experienced in three. A husband at 25 and widowed with four young children at the age of 33, Jun-jun has experienced life like no other. He was once an ordinary car-pooling grade-schooler, the son of then St. Scholastica’s college professor and human rights lawyer Jejomar Binay and his wife obstetrician Elenita Binay, a municipal government employee. At nine, he had the rare privilege of becoming part of the First Family of Makati, the country’s premier business city. He has experienced elective office himself, having been Makati councilor for the past 17 years.

Jun-jun, still reeling from the sudden death of his wife Kennely Anne Binay, now faces another first in his life — a stab at the post his father had held since 1986 (except for a three-year period in which his mother took over). Now, the boyish, mild-mannered only son stands on the threshold of another journey few have taken in their lifetime. In less than a month, Jun-jun will either rejoice in victory or mourn again. It’s been one helluva ride for the 33-year-old.

While his father can be fiery and impassioned, Jun-jun in person is like the eye of a storm: calm, soft-spoken, and rational. Though his voice occasionally rises a notch while telling the story behind his bid for the mayoral seat, he is forthright with his answers, especially to one question that has been stewing in the back of my mind for quite some time now.

Why, I asked him over dinner of steak, sushi and sake, do you want to perpetrate a political dynasty in Makati?

“If you must call it a dynasty,” he answered, “then you can call it a dynasty for service.”

“I don’t think my father or mother would have been elected if they did not serve the people of Makati well. We must have done something right. There have been relatives of sitting mayors in other places who ran for their seat as well, but failed. Getting elected is not automatic even if your husband or father was mayor. You have to deserve your election.”

In his case, he thinks the “Binay” name is “an advantage, not an assurance that I will win the election.”

Second question. Wouldn’t your father be running the show even if you were already the mayor?

“Well, I don’t see anything wrong in having the best adviser. My dad has been serving Makati for the last 24 years and if there is anyone I can seek advice from, it is my dad,” replied Jun-jun, who is running under PDP-Laban. In fact, he makes one think it would be the city’s loss if Jojo Binay is counted out, even as an adviser.

But he says that though he is running on a platform of continuing the legacy of his father, especially in health and social services, he is not a clone of his father. “First of all, I’m a bit taller!” he laughed.

Grace in grief

Having gotten the “hard” questions out of the way, I asked Jun-jun how he is coping with widowhood. To Jun-jun, the personal questions were the harder questions, and he still sheds tears when talking about his late wife, whom he met at a basketball tournament in Makati. She was the muse of one of the competing teams.

Ken-ken died due to cardiac arrest and massive bleeding a few hours after prematurely giving birth to their fourth child, Maria Kennely, on Aug. 11 last year. “We were just starting to build our family and our future,” he recalled. “I remember going to Makati Medical Center during Ken-ken’s wake to check on our baby, and I bumped into Father Tito Caluag. I asked him, ‘Why did this happen, Father?’ And he told me, ‘It’s good that you are asking that, because God will give you the answer — in His time’.”      

When he last saw Ken, he saw in her eyes “that she knew she was in trouble.” She fell unconscious a few minutes after seeing their baby girl, and after whispering to Jun-jun, “Ipagdasal mo ako.” She handed him her rosary and then closed her eyes — forever.

There may still be no answers to Ken’s death coming now or even in the near future, but Jun-jun says that he and his children are coping amidst the pain. With Jej, the only son, starting school soon and baby Kennely at home. Born prematurely, she has had two holes in her heart. So far, only one has healed.

The only boy, Jej seems especially prone to mishaps: two days after bringing home Baby Ken from the hospital, where she stayed for two months, Jej complained of stomach pains, which turned out to be hernia. “He was only a year and six months old; he had an operation a couple of days after we rushed him to the hospital.” Five days after surgery, the boy was given bleach to drink by his yaya by mistake. Three weeks ago, the maid accidentally put a flat-iron against Jej’s foot. “Kawawa naman ang anak ko, but he’s doing well now. Si Alexi naman, she’s studying at Assumption and she has no grade lower than 90. I’m so proud of her.” Helping him take care of the kids are his mother and sisters. “‘Yung mga bagay na alam kaagad ng nanay, gaya ng sukat ng damit, sila talaga ang maaasahan doon,” Jun-jun admits laughing. “I guess it seems fitting: I have four kids and I have four sisters. They’re really my support group.”

Moving on

People might wonder at Jun-jun’s decision to run for office just a few months after being widowed, and Jun-jun himself agrees that for a while there, he just wanted time off from work to be with the children. “My candidacy was unplanned. In fact I had told my parents I wanted to forego this election because of my wife’s death. But my dad told me, ‘Are you willing to turn your back on the people?’ It took a while before I decided to run.”

After Jun-jun decided to run for vice mayor, the Binays found themselves in a political quagmire, with long-time alliances breaking up. At the end of the day, Jun-jun felt he had to step up for his father’s legacy in Makati and decided to run for mayor himself.

Is he ready or is he just being pressured to run?

“I will not accept my challenge if I were not prepared,” stressed Jun-jun, who has a masteral degree in Public Administration from UP.

There is no doubt, however, that his young family is first and foremost to him. Their mother’s passing was neither hidden from nor sugar-coated for the children and Jun-jun helps them cope the best he can. “I just continued what Ken-ken and I used to do every night: we wash up together before going to sleep, read together, then say a prayer together. At least, that ritual is something constant.” His eldest, seven-year-old Jejomarie Alexi, would say a special prayer for her mother, asking God to “take care of her along with Tita Cory, Ninoy, and Michael Jackson, now that they are with Him,” Jun-jun shared with a smile.

The second daughter, Maria Isabel, would have difficult days. “I told her, ‘Maria, we have the choice to be happy or to be upset.’ And she answered, ‘I choose to be upset.’ Barado ako; what do I answer to that?”

 But life has to go on, especially with four young children relying on him. “I’m only 33 years old, but I’ve already experienced the full circle of life. But I know there’s a reason for everything, and I’d see it eventually.” Jun-jun Binay is hopeful there are better days ahead.

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