Binay: In the end, presidential race only between me, Roxas

Vice President Jejomar Binay (left) and Former Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

In the end, it will be a race between Binay and Roxas.

A confident Jejomar Binay walked into the Inquirer radio studio, saying that he would win the 2016 presidential elections by a landslide four million votes in a two-way race with his nemesis, administration bet Mar Roxas.

The vice president gave Radyo Inquirer 990AM an exclusive interview on Monday even as he filed a damage suit against the Philippine Daily Inquirer for publishing reports about his alleged corruption activities when he was Makati mayor.

In the interview, Binay was asked about the radio hosts’ observation that he seemed to be in it to win it.

“I know I am going to win,” Binay said.

He said his chief of staff had already calculated their solid votes and predicted that he would have a seven to 10 percent lead from the next candidate, or a margin of four million votes.

READ: Binay: I will win by 4M votes

He said he does not doubt for a moment his chief of staff, who was also able to predict his win in the 2010 vice presidential race against then candidate Roxas, who is now gunning for the presidency against Binay.

In 2010, Binay won with 14,645,574 votes against Roxas’ 13,918,490 votes, or a lead of only 727,084 votes.

Binay’s target of a four million margin against Roxas is close to that of President Benigno Aquino III when he won by a landslide in the 2010 elections.

Aquino won with 15,208,678 votes, or a margin of 5,720,841 votes from the second placer former Pres. Joseph Estrada who got 9,487,837 votes.

Asked about the scenario if he loses the presidential race, he said: “What if I don’t win? Hindi ko iniisip yun.”

Binay explained that his confidence stemmed from his deep grassroots organization with allies at the local level.

Asked if he thinks the May 9 polls would end up between him and Roxas, despite the latter’s poor ratings in the survey, Binay said: “At the end of the day, (yes). These are practical politics.”

He said only Roxas has the same level of grassroots organizing, but his other rivals Sen. Grace Poe and Davao city mayor Rodrigo Duterte have only started making local alliances and are only banking on the popularity of their names.

Duterte and Poe are the ones leading in the surveys.

READ: Duterte is new frontrunner in SWS poll

He said the elections have two stages–the first stage was image building, but the second stage closer to the election day was about party machinery and grassroots organization.

“Sa second stage ng kampanya, makakapareho ko rito si Mar Roxas; napakalaki ang ginastos ng pamahalaan, may organization. Yung iba, walang organization ‘yun, at saka ngayon lang sila lumalapit sa mga supporters at political leaders; ngayon lang sila nakipag-uusap sa mga tao, kasi inuna nila ung perception, ung image sa media,” Binay said.

“Wala silang machinery in the first place. Sila lumaban sa image popularity; ‘yun ang unang yugto ng labanan. Nasira ang popularity ko dahil dun sa demolition by perception. So ‘yun ang kaibahan. Ngayon pa lang sila nagkukumahog sa kanilang organization,” Binay said.

Binay has expressed confidence of his victory despite his failure to regain the top spot in the voters’ preference polls ever since he and his son, dismissed Makati mayor Junjun, were indicted by the Ombudsman for graft, malversation and falsification of public documents for the alleged rigging of the procurement for the design and construction of the allegedly overpriced P2.8 billion Makati car park building.

READ: Ombudsman finds probable cause to charge VP Binay with graft 

While the Ombudsman has yet to charge the vice president because he is immune from suit, it has charged Junjun before the Sandiganbayan for graft and falsification.


READ: Junjun Binay charged with graft, document falsification over carpark building 

The vice president’s family has also been a subject of a Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee hearing on the allegations of kickbacks from graft-ridden deals in Makati, but Binay has dismissed the probe as a political inquisition meant to derail his presidential bid. JE

READ: Senate ends inquiry but Binay seems unscathed

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