Palace not threatened by ‘new’ Binay party

Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Manila, Philippines—Malacañang is too busy to be bothered or threatened by opposition groups including Vice President Jejomar Binay’s new United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) party.

“Why will we be threatened? We’re focused on governance right now,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told Palace reporters.

“I mean, some people would like to talk about 2016 but, we’re focused on governance. We still have 640-plus days left. We’ve got so much work to do. We’ve got so much reforms that we need to advance,” he said.

Media reports on Wednesday said the UNA will be transformed into a political party for Binay’s presidential bid in 2016.

Binay faced around 300 allies at the Century Park Hotel in Manila for the party’s organizational meeting.

Lacierda declined to comment on the event, which was attended by a number of opposition politicians and critics of President Benigno Aquino III.

“Let them state for the record, are they for the administration or are they for the opposition, not for us to surmise or speculate the nature of their political party,” he said.

Asked if Aquino’s Liberal Party will soon announce its standard bearer, Lacierda said, the President will announce it at the “proper time.”

Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco, one of the administration’s critics, was reportedly elected UNA president.

The meeting happened more than a week after Aquino held an agenda setting meeting with his allies, which excluded Binay, and amid the Senate investigation on the alleged overpriced Makati parking building.

RELATED STORIES

Binay: I left PDP-Laban due to disunity in party

2 LP solons doubt Binay is party’s pick for 2016

Binay open to Roxas tie-up