Binay: I’m just aspiring to become a President of the Philippines

Bacolod City—Did he just flipflop?

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Saturday denied announcing that he was running for president in 2016 when President Aquino’s six-year term ends.

He claimed that his statement was merely taken out of context.

“What I said is I’m aspiring to become a president,” he said.

But since the presidential elections were still five years away, he added, he would rather buckle down to work first.

“Let us get down to work to fulfill President Noynoy’s promises, there is a time for politics but not yet now,” Binay said.

Binay stressed that the approval rating of President Aquino had gone up because the Filipino people found Mr. Aquino sincere.

“For whatever it is we know we have a president whose image has not been destroyed because of graft and corruption,” he said.

Binay was in Bacolod as keynote speaker at the closing rites of the 20th Visayas Areas Business Conference and Expo at L Fisher Hotel.

The Vice President noted that Bacolod is one of the most progressive and elite cities in the country.

In his speech, Binay said the city’s vibrant economy, abundant resources, as well as the congeniality and skill of its human resources make it a promising center for investments, agriculture, trade, and industrial growth.

“The challenge is how to convert this potential into a reality,” he said.

Binay noted that the city government had already laid the foundations in integrating the investment incentives laws of the national government with the local development initiative.

City Ordinance No. 323 or The Bacolod Investment Code, aims to transform selected areas of Bacolod into highly developed Agri-industrial, Industrial, Commercial, Tourist, Investment and Financial Centers, he pointed out.

This ordinance aims to encourage local entrepreneurs and attract outside investors by offering incentives for new investments, expansion and diversification projects, said Binay.