‘Panis!’ Roxas belittles Binay accusations

MANILA, Philippines—One word: “Panis”

This was the response of Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II on the allegations of Vice President Jejomar Binay that he was among those who orchestrated the smear campaign against him called “Oplan (operation plan) Stop Nognog 2016.”

Asked what his reaction to Binay’s accusations was, Roxas quickly replied to reporters, “Panis!” Panis, which literally means stale, is a Filipino slang term used to belittle or insult someone.

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.  NOY MORCOSO/INQUIRER.net

“Lilinawin ko, wala akong ‎kinalaman sa Oplan na ito at sa kung ano-ano man ang pinagsasabi ni Vice President Binay,” Roxas said in an ambush interview in Camp Crame on Wednesday.

(Let me clarify: I am not behind this Oplan or any of the Vice President Binay’s accusations.)

In an ANC interview on Tuesday, Binay named Roxas, his possible rival in the 2016 presidential elections, as the brains behind the takedown plot against him.

Last week, JV Bautista, United Nationalist Alliance secretary general and spokesperson of Binay, said Roxas’ financiers owned the chopper that flew over Binay’s alleged property in Rosario, Batangas.

Binay supported this claim and said the helicopter was owned by Buddy Zamora, a rich businessman and a friend of Roxas.

He also said that a staff of Roxas rode the chopper that surveyed the Sunchamp Agri-Industrial. Park.

“Mga tauhan niya sa Makati at insider ng Makati mga nabsasabi nito. Kaya imbis na magturo siya, harapin na lang,” he said.

(His people and insiders in Makati are the ones claiming this. Instead of accusing me, Binay should just face the accusations against him.)

Roxas denied knowing the owner of the chopper and renting the aircraft to spy on Binay’s Batangas property–which is now being discussed by the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee in its probe on the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall Building 2.

“There’s no truth to that. None of my staff was in that chopper,” he said in Filipino.

The Interior and Local Government Secretary also urged the media and the camp of Binay to ask Zamora if he owned the helicopter.

“Ang issue ba dito ay ‘yung chopper o ang issue dito ‘yung estate na nakuhanan?” Roxas said.

(Is the chopper the issue here or the estate that was caught on video?)

He said he will remain silent and unperturbed by the false allegations being hurled against him.

Roxas also said that Binay’s imagination has gone too far for thinking that Justice Secretary Leila De Lima’s decision could be influenced by anyone.

“Si Secretary Leila of DOJ, madidiktahan ba yan? Parang napakalayo naman ng narating ng imagination na ito,” he said. ‎

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV claimed last Friday that Binay used his meeting with President Benigno ‎Aquino III to allegedly discontinue the DOJ’s probe on his alleged unexplained wealth.

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