Binay’s party

The political caldero in Cebu has been simmering for months but the recent visit of Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas Ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) stalwarts, Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and businessman Jose “Joey” de Venecia made the pot rumble near boiling point.

Pimentel, who is PDP-Laban president and De Venecia, the party’s secretary-general came to Cebu to intensify their local organization. The party chairman is Vice President Jejomar Binay who recently forged ties with former president Joseph Estrada’s Partido Ng Masang Pilipino. With Erap and Binay governing the United Nationalist Alliance, observers note the administration Liberal Party would be tagilid  (disadvantaged) in next year’s polling.

It certainly does look like that. Binay is acceptable to many pro-Aquino forces. The PMP is chaired by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile who is also up there in the ratings. Erap and Manong Johnny are closely identified with the Nationalist People’s Coalition of business tycoon Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, so the issue about NPC’s direction in the forthcoming 2013 elections is no longer a matter of conjecture.

Next year’s election is billed as the curtain raiser for 2016, and will determine which party businessmen and interest groups will support.

According to the grapevine, the only time campaign donors were literally tripping each other to make contributions was during the 1998 elections when Estrada ran for president against then Speaker Jose de Venecia of the administration Lakas NUCD.  Estrada’s popularity aided by a massive war chest resulted in a lopsided contest that saw Joe de V’s campaign fold up less than a month before the elections.  Erap won with a landslide majority of over 11 million votes.

Vice President Binay has a lifetime of experience in politics and he knows the pitfalls of being the early frontrunner in the race.

Members of Lakas CMD-Kampi, the party of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who right away encamped with UNA are former senator Miguel Zubiri, followed by party mate, Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay.

The shift to UNA is problematic for Lakas CMD president Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. not only because of his close ties with GMA under whose administration Erap Estrada was charged, arrested, prosecuted, convicted, and later on pardoned for the crime of plunder. Under GMA’s watch, Binay was slapped with several administrative and criminal cases, which could have caused his ouster as Makati City mayor except that he was able to foil these attempts through his political muscle.

Bong’s other problem is the unsavory publicity generated by the murder of his half-brother Ram Revilla allegedly by his own half-siblings. However, it is the scuttlebutt that he is interested to run for a higher office in 2016, an annoying scenario for Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, which makes Revilla unwelcome in UNA. Perhaps because no invitations were forthcoming, Revilla criticized the coalition for early politicking.

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Cebu 4th district Congressman Benhur Salimbangon called up this corner last week to explain his side about the reported bogus beneficiaries in livelihood programs funded by his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

The item came out after a Commission on Audit official called up Bogo City Mayor Celestino “Junie” Martinez to confirm the names of persons residing in Bogo City listed as beneficiaries of the project. They turned out to be “fictitious,” prompting allegations that Salimbangon misused his pork barrel.

Rep. Salimbangon has issued a denial saying that he did not have a hand in the selection of beneficiaries.  He clarified that P7.8 million of his PDAF went to the Technological Resource Center, an adjunct of the Department of Science and Technology. The agency solicits assistance from lawmakers to help in skills training and livelihood seminars and during his first stint in Congress, Salimbangon committed 10 percent of his pork barrel to livelihood projects. The DOST funnelled the funds to the TRC, which picked the Aaron Foundation for the said programs.

When COA came across Aaron Foundation, the Audit Commission’s red light blinked because it is the same NGO implicated in the 2004 fertilizer scam. If that’s the case, I’m surprised why COA took the extra mile to call up local officials instead of demanding explanations from the conduit agencies about the bogus foundation-beneficiary.

Congressman Salimbangon should exert efforts to summon the DOST Secretary and TRC executive director to shed light on this controversy.