MY POSTS ABOUT VP BINAY – PART FOUR (Last of four parts) (As the year gets to a close, I am reposting the series of posts on Vice President Jejomar Binay. I did the collated posts when the series of controversies about his corrupt ways start to hound him in August this year. I did not expect the public reaction, particularly from netizens, mostly unheard be3fore I wrote those posts. It only goes to show that many netizens are not close minded to hear the other side of the story. The reactions of the Binay camp were most astonishing if not downright stupid. Many times, their trolls had invaded my wall not to argue or offer contrary views, but to malign me. They were cheap shots because no matter how they bashed, many netizens still manage to follow my posts. I am reposting them for posterity. They covered the period late August to Decem,ber this year. Please care to read and see the evolution of my views and interpretations of history. The date of post is written at its end.) NANCY BINAY: SARAH PALIN OF THE PHILIPPINES It is not difficult to find the local version of Sarah Palin. Sen. Nancy Binay appears to be the natural choice. They both personify everything that is stupid in a political leader. Although ex-Alaska governor Sarah Palin emerged to national prominence after Republican presidential candidate John McCain named her as his running mate, she immediately fell out of grace after she made numerous statements that showed her ignorance on many burning issues and concerns. Palin has become the butt of jokes of many commentators. Her selection as McCain’s running mate showed failure of judgment and lack of vetting process. Nancy rose to national prominence after winning in the 2013 senatorial elections. She did not have adequate political – or even work – experience to support her senatorial bid. She won because she happens to be one of the daughters of the Vice President. Unlike most neophytes in the Senate, Nancy Binay has not avoided making controversial public statements. As if being the Vice President’s daughter gives her the green light to say something on every issue, Nancy Binay has become the epitome of recklessness, carelessness, and insensitivity to the flow of public opinion. She has become the virtual laughing stock on many issues. Her laughable quotes are too numerous to mention. It would be a mortal sin to commit them to memory. Sept. 2 BINAY’S NEW PLOY: BRING THE ISSUE TO PEOPLE Battered Vice President Jejomar Binay has a new ploy to battle the plunder charges he faces in connection with the alleged overpriced parking building (P2.2 billion, P2.4 billion, or P2.7 billion depending on the final cost). He is bringing the issue directly to the people, expecting that a positive public reaction could lead to his exoneration. Last week, Jojo Binay flew to Cagayan de Oro City and met with the Emanos – former mayor Vicente and son Dongkoy, now the Misamis Oriental governor. Dongkoy and his followers plastered the city with tarpaulins containing pro-Binay messages. Dongkoy also spoke on the radio, asking the Misamis Oriental mayors to support Binay’s presidential bid in the 2016 presidential elections. Binay’s trip to Cagayan de Oro City had all the trappings of a presidential campaign, but it was a case of bad politics. The sordid truth was that Binay was running scared. If ever the plunder charges against him prosper (and indications show they would), Binay could kiss his presidential ambitions goodbye. No jailed political leader in the annals of Philippine history has dared to run in any presidential elections. From all indications, Binay was not in Cagayan de Oro City to push for his presidential bid, which would likely end as stillborn given the public battering he was receiving in connection with the allegedly overpriced parking building. His Cagayan de Oro City sojourn was intended to drum up popular support for his fight against the plunder charges his political opponents had filed against him and son Mayor Junjun Binay. In brief, he wanted to create his own brand of people power to extricate himself from his current sticky mess. Binay’s move to create his own people power was supported by the protest demonstration of some 800 supporters, who gathered this morning in front of Makati 2 Building (the official name of the parking building), which was being questioned by senators for being overpriced. The senators held an ocular inspection there. The move to start a people power was obvious, but it hardly gained any traction from the people, who seemed to have shown what it was earlier described as “protest fatigue.” It was the same failed strategy employed by Bong Revilla, but the latter later went to jail after the plunder charges have been elevated to the Sandiganbayan. The propensity of political leaders like Binay to bring directly the issue to the people and generate some sort of people power is an overused strategy that does not resonate with the people, who have become more informed, selective, and resolute to assert their views as a result of their immersion to social media. For sure, Binay’s strategy will explode right on his face. Straight denials and people power do not constitute the correct alchemy to free himself from those charges of plunder. Perceived plunderers could no longer use popular support as an excuse. Binay is doomed. Sept. 1 TRAGIC SPIN: Media spinmasters have every reason to laugh. This is the supreme irony. They have pushed Vice President Jojo Binay to take a spin on all accusations of corruption hurled on him in connection with the allegedly overpriced parking building. According to the Vice President, it was not overpriced as the government had saved P200 million in its construction. In short, the people owe him a debt of gratitude for making it P200 million cheaper. Moreover, the Vice President has made the building not just a parking building but a building for government offices. Again, we owe him a debt of gratitude for his incredible imagination. And the coup de grace: The Vice President did not steal a peso from the overpriced building. Again, we owe him a debt of gratitude for his honesty, integrity, and sense of honor. He reminds us of Bong Revilla and Jinggo Estrada, who swear to heaven that they were no robbers of peoples money, or PDAF. They made those statements before they went to jail. Aug. 27 THE BINAY CHILDREN: LIVING UNDER THE SHADOW OF THEIR FATHER If there is a single matter that the children of Vice President Jejomar Binay have to consider, it is to reject living under the shadow of their father and learn to carve their own identity and niche in Philippine politics. They should stop referring to the Vice President as their father, as if the latter is duty bound to defend them from all vagaries and vicissitudes in the rambunctious world of Philippine politics. They should refer to the Vice President as simply Mr. Vice President and avoid mentioning at all times that he is their father. Makati City Mayor Jun-jun Binay, Rep. Abigael Binay, and Sen. Nancy Binay should learn a lesson from former first lady Imelda Marcos, who, despite her faults and the public perception that she represents half of the conjugal dictatorship that destroyed our country, hardly refers in the past or present to dictator Ferdinand Marcos as my husband. On the contrary, she refers to her late husband as either Mr. President, or simply President Marcos. In a way, it has made her distinct from her late husband. The three Binay children have not built a name for themselves as political leaders. They are hardly identified with any specific political agenda, platform, or advocacy. They could be considered lucky because they owe their political fortunes to their father. But it pays to establish ones identity and build a name for oneself. This sounds trivial, but their political future will depend a lot on their own political identity and sense of integrity. Aug. 23 PNOY WON’T ENDORSE BINAY IN 2016 Something striking took place at today’s regular Saturday Forum @ Anabel’s in Quezon City. Sen. Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV categorically said in this mornings media forum that President Benigno Aquino III was not inclined to endorse Vice President Jejomar Binay as his candidate in the 2016 presidential elections. Citing “inside information,” Trillanes said the President did not have to endorse Binay since it was something that would not occur. Trillanes did not say whose hands the President would raise in 2016. Neither did he describe the source of his inside information. When asked if Binay would be a clone of detained former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Trillanes said “the Vice President could be worse than GMA.” For sure, Binay would go slow on the people, who face plunder and graft charges, he said. Moreover, corruption is expected to return because he is perceived as corrupt. Trillanes said the Vice President has to undergo intense public scrutiny because he has announced his plans to run for president in 2016. “We have to see his real person,” he said. Trillanes said Binay was already projecting that the President was to endorse him, leading some lawmakers, local officials and judges to kowtow to his wishes. Other points Trillanes had said in the media forum: - Trillanes has filed a resolution calling for a Senate inquiry on the P2.7 billion parking building in Makati City because at least P2 billion was lost to corruption, when Binay was the mayor of the country’s premier center of business. Binay was accused of “pocketing” the P2 billion overprice, since it could onloy cause about P700 million, citing independent appraisers like Cuervo Appraisers. - The initial public hearing at the Senate revealed details not known to the public before and these included the payment of P2.4 billion by December 31, 2013 and the payment was not covered by any evaluation by the Commission on Audit. - The public hearing revealed the following details: the building was not a green building as claimed by Mayor Jun-jun Binay since this would require a certification and classification as “green,” the use of substandard materials in its construction, the technical incompetence of the COA resident auditor Cagaanan, the division of its construction into five phases, its construction by a single contractor, and the “railroaded bidding” process. - The presidential uncles have the right to choose the presidential candidate they would endorse in 2016, while the presidential sisters have corrected earlier press reports about their support for Binay, saying they have yet to endorse their preferred candidate. - The investigating Senate blue ribbon subcommittee has sent a subpoena asking for documents on the construction of Ospital ng Maynila, Makati City Science High School, and the Makati City hall for possible commission of corruption. - For the meantime, the Senate subcommittee was concentrating its probe on the Vice President’s reported acts of corruption, as it would later go to a careful look of his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN). - The ongoing probe seeks to come out with remedial legislation on the government procurement system and processes, which have been the subject of corrupt activity and to observe how the local government units (LGUs) were being managed. - The ongoing probe could lead to the filing of plunder charges against the younger Binay and impeachment complaint against the Vice President, but it is up for the Office of the Ombudsman to freeze his assets. - The Anti-Money Laundering Act also needs a revisit too to prevent plunder suspects to withdraw their funds even before the order on the freezing of their assets comes out. - Anybody can criticize PNoy, which did not happen under the previous presidents and any critic did not have to fear any arrest or intimidation. - Most of his colleagues in the Senate could not believe that he had initiated the probe, even as he indicated that it took moral courage to lead in the probe of the Vice President because he was perceived to be a strong presidential candidate in 2016. - He expressed elation on the fact that COA chair Grace Tan has been initiating what he described as “housecleaning” at COA. He said many COA resident auditors were either coopted, intimidated, or harassed, prompting them to submit faulty audit reports that favored the subjects of their audits. - At least one or two percent of the purchase order goes to the COA resident auditor so long as the audit reports showed positive results for the audit subjects. Aug. 23 MAR ROXAS VS JOJO BINAY IN 2016, PLUS BONGBONG MARCOS The political scenario in 2016 does not appear palatable by all means. Mar Roxas and Jojo Binay go slugging for the first prize, with Bongbong Marcos, or Erap Estrada joining the fray as unwanted spoilers. As if this country has gone to the dogs, or as if we deserve nobody but the monkeys… We have to be a little creative. We have to push certain people who are more deserving than those presidential wannabes. Either we go into deep selection or pick up somebody who is just around the corner. Of if nobody comes around, why not keep PNoy? Personally, I do not wish the country to go to the dogs again. Binay is a clone of GMA. He does not want to get rid of the Estradas – Erap and Jinggoy. He is even bent to name Jinggoy as his running mate. I could foresee Binay, if he becomes the next president, going slow on the plunder charges against Jinggoy and company, taking them under his wings to become the complete trapo, or the quintessential political opportunist of the worst kind. I could foresee Binay rehabilitating GMA to usher her return to the political scene. I could foresee the Binay dynasty lording over the country with the help of the Estradas, Revillas, Arroyos, and every despicable political character in our country. This is a punishment for us. I could foresee the country losing all the gains in anticorruption drive, or ushering the return of the old corrupt ways. Mar Roxas could be a fine alternative, but he does not attract the interest and enthusiasm of the people. He is perceived as politically weak and less engaging. He has so many things to do to win against the current crop of presidential contenders. Other presidential contenders or pretenders do not deserve further discussions. In the absence of acceptable alternatives, we have to open our vistas to other scenarios, including a term extension for PNoy. Aug. 15 A CASE OF WRONG POLITICS While his handlers are busy in publicly projecting his political invincibility in 2016, Vice President Jojo Binay has not done much to project an image of integrity to deserve the mantle of leadership after President Benigno Aquino III bows out of office. The Vice President has rightly courted the Liberal Party-led ruling coalition to become its standard bearer in 2016 with Mar Roxas as his running mate, but he has done anything to justify his anointment. Proof: He has not cut political ties with the Estradas - Erap, Jinggoy, and JV. Despite his public projection of invincibility, Binay wants to enjoy the best of all worlds, behaving as if he were the center of the universe in Philippine politics. He hardly knows, or understands, or feels the political contempt he has been reaping from other political parties and entities. This is exactly the reason the Vice President only has the support of the basically apolitical presidential sisters, despite his insistence of political strength and invincibility in 2016. What he has earlier believed as mass exodus of pro-administration political entities to his camp is not taking place. Binay exemplifies wrong politics. His naivete shows when he wrongly believes that he could or would be the center of political gravity in 2016. He does not know, or understand, or feel, that this is something not bound to happen because of his political alliance with Erap and Jinggoy, whose tarnished reputation springs from a single reason - their weakness on money. Even Binay suffers from a tarnished reputation arising from the plunder charges his enemies have filed before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the construction of the P1.5 billion parking building in Makati City. Potential political allies would not dare touch him with a ten-foot pole because of the several graft charges against him. Despite his soaring leads in opinion polls, the Vice President does not appear to be the easy winner in 2016. He could only generate the support of potential political allies. On the contrary, pundits believe that Binay could only get their support if he does a series of moves: First, he has to jettison the Estradas - the sooner, the better. Credibility is the function of his immediate dissociation with the Estradas, who personify high stake corruption in public office and constitute a political baggage for him. He has to distance himself from Juan Ponce Enrile and other opposition leaders, who have credibility issues. Second, Binay has to make a clear and unequivocal commitment to the anticorruption agenda, which the President has initiated when he assumed the presidency in 2010. He has to make it absolutely clear that he intends to run after the plunderers and bring to the rightful conclusion the plunder charges filed against Jinggoy, Enrile, and Bong Revilla. Moreover, he has to make it crystal clear that he does not intend to go slow on them, but, on the contrary, see the wheels of justice would continue to grind against them in the post-PNoy era. Third, Binay has to pass the litmus test of integrity in public service. This does not appear possible at the moment, when he faces several plunder and graft charges before the court. At the moment, Binay enjoys the support the political opposition, led by the UNA, which has been grossly weakened by the imprisonment of Jinggoy and Enrile. He enjoys the support of a broad segment of his fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, although history has shown that a fraternity-based political run in the country is improbable and not winnable. Given the fickle-mindedness of the Filipino voters, who favor a certain candidate at a given moment but shift to another candidate in another moment, the Vice President is not a shoo-in in 2016. He has to do a lot of things and employ what is regarded as right politics in his quest for the presidency. In brief, he has to show that he is on the right side of history if he wants the Filipino people to anoint him as the next leader. Aug. 11 PRINCIPLED DIFFERENCES. In other countries, particularly the United States, principled differences, particularly those that deal with policies and governance, lead to resignation. A Cabinet member, who publicly differs with the President, does not hesitate to tender his resignation. He tells the President the basis of his differences with him. It is all straight talk. He does not waste a minute in his post. Vice President Jojo Binay, who is also a Cabinet member, wants the best of all worlds. He has probably learned from the experience of then Vice President Emmanuel Pelaez, who resigned his concurrent post as foreign affairs secretary after he differed with then President Diosdado Macapagal in the early 1960s. Pelaezs resignation virtually consigned him to oblivion for a while. He lost to Ferdinand Marcos in the bitter fight for the presidential nomination of the Nacionalista Party in 1965. Nevertheless, Maning Pelaez was man enough to face the consequences of his resignation. I dont know what to say about the current Vice President. July 24
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 16:45:50 +0000