SISTERLY SUPPORTJunjun Binay is flanked by his sisters, Senator Nancy Binay (left) and Anne, as he officially signifies his intention to reclaim the post he lost in 2015. —JOAN BONDOC
With two of his sisters, Sen. Nancy Binay and Anne, beside him, former Makati Mayor Junjun Binay filed on Tuesday his certificate of candidacy (COC), officially pitting him against his other sister, incumbent Mayor Abby Binay, who is running for reelection in next year’s mayoral contest.
According to Junjun who is running under the local party, Una ang Makati (UAM), he could not ignore the clamor coming from Makati residents who said they missed the Binay brand of leadership.
Lesson learned
In a speech to his supporters in front of the Makati Commission on Elections office, he said: “This is what I have learned from my over 20 years at city hall: When our constituents ask us to serve, we cannot say no. When the public needs our help and care, we cannot turn them down.”
Before serving as Makati mayor, Junjun was on the city council.
Abby is expected to file her COC on Wednesday with her running mate, incumbent Vice Mayor Monique Lagdameo. She is running under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) party of their father, former Vice President Jejomar Binay.
The Binay patriarch is also seeking to represent Makati’s first district in Congress and is on his daughter’s ticket.
Junjun, on the other hand, will be running with Monsour del Rosario, incumbent representative of the first district.
Nancy hands-off on face-off
When asked by reporters who she was supporting, Senator Binay said on Tuesday that she was taking a hands-off stance as she had to focus on her reelection bid.
“It’s tough because I am also facing my own challenge, right? So at this point, I have my own battle to fight so I should concentrate on what I’m going through,” she added.
The other day, Jejomar Binay said it was up to Makati voters to decide who between his two children should be mayor.
But at the same time, he urged them to be role models of honorable and clean elections, stressing that the Binay family, while serving the people, would not be torn apart by “mere politics.”
He also told them to tell their leaders and supporters “to act honorably and stay calm.”
“Avoid hurtful words and make the campaign a positive and peaceful experience,” the former vice president said.
Closer to Junjun
Senator Binay admitted she was closer to Junjun than Abby although she could not say if she would campaign for him. She was accompanied by Junjun when she filed her COC for senator last week.
“I still don’t know [if I will campaign for him]. I don’t want to think about it. Now I want to prioritize my own fight because it is more difficult as I would need to campaign around the country,” she said.
The senator also defended her father’s decision to let both of his children go after Makati City’s top post.
“You know, when it comes to us siblings, he will always leave it to us to decide for ourselves. He is only there to give advice,” she said.
The possibility of the two siblings running against each other first cropped up after 13 of the 16 city councilors and 21 of the 33 barangay leaders switched their support to Junjun.
Political drama
Abby, however, downplayed their defection, saying it was part of “political drama serving as a smokescreen [for] their nefarious activities.” She said she had all the councilors investigated and found several of them involved in corrupt practices.
Six of the incumbent city councilors are running under Junjun’s ticket. They are Councilors Ma. Arlene Ortega, Enrico Puno, Evelyn Delfina Villamor, Grazielle Iony de Lara-Bes, Shirley Aspillaga and Leonardo Magpantay.
To be pitted against Abby’s husband, incumbent Rep. Luis Campos of the second district, is incumbent Councilor King Yabut Jr. who is running under UAM. Campos is also seeking reelection next year. —With a report from DJ Yap