Veep sees Roxas hand in campaign against him

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday night accused Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, his potential rival in the 2016 presidential election, of having a hand in what he called was a smear campaign against him by former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado—the star witness in the ongoing Senate inquiry into corruption allegations against him. CDN FILE PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA

MANILA, Philippines–Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday night accused Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, his potential rival in the 2016 presidential election, of having a hand in what he called was a smear campaign against him by former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado—the star witness in the ongoing Senate inquiry into corruption allegations against him.

On the eve of the resumption of the Senate inquiry, Binay accused Roxas as among those leading the so-called “Oplan Stop Nognog 2016,” a purported plot to derail the Vice President’s political plans.

And despite the political crisis he is now facing amid results of a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing eight in 10 Filipinos wanted him to show up at the investigation of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee, Binay made it clear he would not reconsider his presidential bid.

“(Reconsider) is not part of my vocabulary,” the Vice President said in an interview on ANC’s “Beyond Politics” television program hosted by Lynda Jumilla.

Also on Tuesday night, Binay challenged Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, to a “one-on-one debate” outside the Senate and without immunity, on the issues raised against the Vice President.

Binay’s spokesman, Joey Salgado, said Binay issued the challenge to Trillanes when the Vice President spoke at an event of the Home Development Mutual Fund and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas at the Crown Regency hotel in Pasay City.

Binay made it clear he would never attend the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee’s inquiry because he said he did not want to give senators after his head the chance to sully his office. He said the vilification and threats against him and his family were not part of a proper investigation.

And even if the SWS survey said that the majority of Filipinos wanted him to face the Senate investigation, he said the poll did “not reflect the feelings that I am seeing from people, especially when I explain the issues to them.”

Binay said Roxas had a hand in the ongoing vilification campaign against him.

Echoing statements made by his United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) party mates, he said the helicopter that flew over a Batangas property dubbed “Hacienda Binay,” which he said he did not own, was courtesy of Buddy Zamora, a rich businessman into mining and a friend of Roxas.

Binay also said his camp found out that one of the passengers on the helicopter was a staff member of Roxas.

“When Mercado was hospitalized, in a few minutes, according to our report, Mr. Roxas was there beside him,” he said.

No hypocrite

Binay also insisted that Roxas was seeking the presidency but that unlike him, he was not a hypocrite because right after he won the vice presidency in 2010 he announced he would seek the presidency in 2016.

Binay said that the Senate investigation as well as the bid to impeach him were “all geared to prevent me from becoming a candidate” for President.

The Vice President also took potshots at Mercado, saying that the former vice mayor had an ax to grind against him because he had ditched him as his successor in Makati in favor of his son, Jejomar Erwin, the current Makati City mayor.

He said Mercado not only lost in the 2010 mayoral race but also lost his kickbacks.

Binay described Mercado as a gambler, who would bet heavily in cockfights and in casinos. He said Mercado would go to Las Vegas to gamble, describing him as a “high roller” who would easily drop $25,000 per bet in a casino.

Binay said Mercado knew all about the infrastructure projects in the city when they were both serving there.

Little mayor

Calling Mercado a “little mayor,” Binay said the former dealt with contractors and suppliers while he was in office.

Binay alleged that Mercado was earning from the Oplan Stop Nognog plot and was also getting government projects in exchange for his testimony.

Asked whether he took steps to stop the alleged corruption involving his former vice mayor, he said that he had trusted Mercado.

On Antonio Tiu, whom senators claim to have been used as a dummy of the Vice President in the ownership of a 350-hectare property in Batangas City, Binay said they were “not intimate friends.” He described Tiu as a successful businessman.

Binay said his longtime aide Gerry Limlingan was his best friend and that he considered him a brother. He said he did not think Limlingan was a supplier of equipment for Ospital ng Makati.

He was asked whether his lawyer Martin Subido was leasing the property in Dasmariñas Village in Makati City for his son, Junjun. He said his son did not own any property in Dasmariñas Village.

Asked if he would resign if proven he owned the Batangas property, he said he could not answer the question because the allegation against him was a lie.

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