No fan of DAP, Binay says he’s not worthy of LP nod

Vice President Jejomar Binay: Not worthy. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Vice President Jejomar Binay on Wednesday finally broke his silence on President Aquino’s controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), saying he does not support it and finds the facility which the Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional to be wrong.

Binay, who was in Pili, Camarines Sur, made the comment in reaction to the statement of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, the presumptive presidential candidate of the Liberal Party, that the administration’s standard bearer in 2016 should be someone supportive of President Aquino’s programs, including the DAP and other budget reforms.

“Now, to those who are saying that we will not qualify because we are against DAP, we do not support what happened to DAP,” said Binay, whose interview-transcript was issued by his office to the media in Manila.

Binay said the high court’s decision to rule on some acts committed in DAP as unconstitutional “should be respected.”

He also said the position taken by Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno was “correct.”

“That’s against the Constitution, now they’re saying it’s not, it means they are in favor of it. That DAP is really wrong,” Binay said.

The Vice President made it clear that talk of a possible Binay and Roxas tieup in 2016 started when he revealed that LP was considering to adopt him as its presidential candidate.

He said his revelation made some in the LP “nervous,” “especially those who have many offenses.”

Binay said this was the reason why some LP members were making life difficult for him, referring to accusations hurled against him and his son, Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay, for the alleged overpriced construction of the Makati City hall parking building which will now be investigated by the Senate.

“That’s why I am mentioning it, whether there is a case or not, as long as you will be jailed, you will be charged with plunder,” he added.

Binay and his son are currently facing a plunder complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman for the alleged overpriced construction of the parking building.

He also made it clear that he and his allies were not talking of any coalition with the LP for 2016.

Still, he said looking at the “reality,” he was confident that those rooting for former president and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and ailing Sen. Miriam Santiago to run for president in 2016—both of whom he said would not likely run—will end up voting for him instead.

He said latest survey results on the public’s presidential preference in 2016 showed that both Estrada and Santiago had support of nine points each and together with his 40 points, that would mean he already has 50 plus points in his favor.

“That’s the majority,” he added.

And somehow closing the door on a Binay-Roxas tieup, Binay said that for now he prefers to have a “successful” businessman from the private sector as his running mate.

He said this would convince a lot of businessmen to support them.

While Binay said he already has someone in mind, “everyone is being considered.”–Christine O. Avendaño