ANSWERING A DIFFICULT QUESTION By Manny Pinol ( Former Governor of North Cotabato ) Early yesterday morning, I received a call from a friend who is very close to Vice President Jejomar Binay whose name I will not mention since I have not asked for his consent. The conversation started with the friendly kamusta ka na, pare? and then it metamorphosed into what I expected the call was all about - Vice President Binay. Pare, nagpapatanong si VP kung galit ka ba daw sa kanya, asked my friend. (VP is asking if you are angry at him.) When I asked why they would think that way, he said: Kasi yong mga sinusulat mo sa facebook tinitira mo sya. Di ba magkaibigan kayo? Di ba nag-usap na kayo? I was both surprised but at the same time elated that the seemingly inconspicuous facebook page where I share my thoughts, dreams and desires in governance with some 79,000 followers was also being followed by people in the corridors of power. No, Im not angry at VP Binay and I have not attacked him personally. Please read my posts again and you will find out that I wrote them very objectively. The only verbal attacks he gets actually come from the followers of the page who post comments and these comments I do not control or delete for as long as they are not vulgar, I told my friend. I asked him to understand that right now I am wearing the hat of a unpaid journalist who writes about issues and developments in the country which I believe affect the lives of the ordinary Filipino. Ganoon ba? O sige. Pero kay VP Binay ka ba sa susunod na eleksyon? he asked. It was a question I would have preferred not to answer but I wanted to be honest with my friend. Pare, magkaibigan tayo at kaibigan ko si VP Binay, pero hindi ako sasama sa kanya sa 2016 election, I told him. Ha? Bakit kay Mar (Roxas) ka ba? he asked. Hindi rin, I replied. Eh, kanino ka? he persisted. I said if people will be able to convince Mayor Rody Duterte to run for President, I will support Duterte. But if he will not be convinced, I would rather stay out of politics. Since it was a very friendly and frank conversation, I proceeded to give my friend feedback on how the issues of corruption are affecting Vice President Binays chances of becoming president. I told my friend that Vice President Binay must come forward and defend himself against the issues of corruption raised by people who used to be his close political allies. Pare, kapag hindi nyo nasagot na maige ang mga isyu, hindi na makakaahon si VP Binay. Sa 100 na tao na nakakausap ko, mabuti na kung merong 10 na kumakampi sa kanya, I told him and it obviously bothered him. But I told him that Binays camp would be extremely lucky if no other fresh face in politics would rise shortly before the elections of 2016. Political fate would also depend on the issues raised before the elections and how well the political personalities would handle these. Right now, the issues are against Vice President Binay and his camp, by avoiding a direct confrontation with his accusers, are committing a monumental blunder. You have to realize that the Presidency in the Philippines is determined by the turn of events prior to the election, like PNoys meteoric rise following the death of Cory, I told him. Kung hindi tatakbo si Rody, bantayan nyo ang Grace Poe kasi kung makakasakay ng magandang issue yan, biglang aangat yan, I told him. When our conversation ended, I heaved a sigh of relief that I was able to explain to a friend my stand in the selection and election of the next President of the Philippines. My choice will not be for myself but for my children and for my grandson, Duane Aniceto Pinol Solis, who will live in world which will be greatly influenced by the President I will support and vote for in 2016. I know that many other fathers and grandfathers like me also feel the same way. And I am willing to set aside personal relations and friendship just to ensure a better future for my grandson.
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 06:27:30 +0000
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