MANILA, Philippines?What?s in a name like Jejomar Binay?

In a complaint to the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), Binay?s office said it had learned that on at least three broadcasts on ABS-CBN, its news reader Korina Sanchez did not mention Binay?s name when she referred to the Vice President.

Sanchez and Ging Reyes, head of ABS-CBN News, have, as of Thursday afternoon, declined comment.

The complaint asked if this was in line with the network?s editorial policy and, if not, then Sanchez?s attention should be called.

Binay won the vice presidency in the May 10 elections last year beating Sen. Manuel ?Mar? Roxas II of the Liberal Party in a dramatic upset. Roxas is Sanchez?s husband.

?No such policy?

In its March 2 complaint, Binay?s office formally asked the KBP ?why the name of Vice President Jejomar C. Binay was omitted by Ms Korina Sanchez on several occasions during telecasts of TV Patrol.?

Joselito Salgado, Binay?s spokesperson and media officer, sought clarification from KBP president Ruperto Nicdao.

Contacted for comment, Bong Osorio of the ABS-CBN Corporate Communications Division said: ?There is no policy of omission in our news organization. The complaint raised by Mr. Joey Salgado has been referred to the network ombudsman.?

?Appropriate action?

Salgado told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that Binay?s office ?has elevated the matter to the KBP. We?re hoping that the KBP will act accordingly with the highest standards of professionalism in mind.?

Salgado, a former print journalist, expressed hope the KBP ?would take appropriate action.?

?It?s either ?by the Vice President? or ?the Vice President,? but never ?Vice President Jejomar Binay? or ?Vice President Binay,?? Salgado told the Inquirer, referring to what Sanchez supposedly said on the air.

Salgado furnished the KBP with a copy of his letter to Reyes and Cheryl Favila, ABS-CBN news head and supervising producer, respectively.

In his letter to the network, Salgado said: ?We wish to be clarified if it is the editorial policy of the ABS-CBN news desk to omit the name of Vice President Jejomar Binay in the lead or in the anchor?s spiels on stories about him.?

?Enlightenment?

He said it had ?come to our attention that on at least three occasions (Nov. 11, 2010: ?VP Binay umaming walang ebidensya (admitted there was no evidence) vs De Castro at Ortille?; Feb. 17, 2011: ?Pamilya gustong makapiling si Sally sa huling sandali (Family wants to be by Sally in her last moments)?; and Feb. 24, 2011: ?Marcos sa Libingan ng mga Bayani?), your news reader Korina Sanchez did not mention the name of Vice President Binay in her spiels.?

?While we do not want to intervene in any way in your editorial policies, we would like to be enlightened if such a policy of omission exists, and if it does, why it apparently applies only to the Vice President,? Salgado said.

He added: ?If there is no such policy on Vice President Binay, and if his name was not included in the spiels, we feel that your attention needs to be called to the unprofessional conduct of Ms Sanchez, whose husband, as we all know, is former Sen. Mar Roxas who lost to the Vice President in the last election.?

Binay is still in the United Arab Emirates, where he is on an official visit. Earlier, he visited Kuwait, where he met with Kuwaiti officials on problems facing overseas Filipino workers.

He is scheduled to return to Manila this Saturday. With a report from Bayani San Diego Jr.