Binay should address corruption issue after survey lead drops, says Llamas

Ronald Llamas. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — A political adviser of President Benigno Aquino III on Monday said Vice President Jejomar Binay needs to address the corruption issues hurled against him in order to keep the lead in the presidential race for 2016.

The latest Pulse Asia survey revealed that fewer people are considering voting for Binay as president in 2016. However, he still leads the pack with 31 percent of respondents voting for him as opposed to Aquino ally Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II who came in second place with 13 percent.

Presidential Political Adviser Ronald Llamas said that while the political landscape remains “fluid,” Binay should act fast to retain the trust of the people.

“If the vice president will be unable to confront these issues head on and convincingly, his ratings may continue to unravel,” Llamas told media.

Binay, who was a former mayor of Makati City, is being accused of pocketing taxpayers’ money allocated for the alleged overpriced Makati parking building.

Llamas said Binay’s drop, from having 41 percent voting for him last June to only 31 percent in September, was “definitely a result of the senate investigation on alleged corruption of the Vice President and his family.”

He pointed out that corruption will remain an important and “dominant issue” until the national elections in 2016.

While Binay already gave a televised address on the matter, his critics said it was more of a political speech that did not fully address the accusations against him.

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