‘Elitists, antipoor behind Nognog plot’

MANILA, Philippines–Vice President Jejomar Binay on Sunday said those behind the alleged plot to stop him from running for the presidency in 2016 were “elitists and antipoor.”

In a statement, Binay also took exception to the code name of the alleged plot, “Oplan Stop Nognog 2016.”

“Whoever thought of Nognog was clearly being insulting. Surely those who thought of that word are wealthy hacenderos, because Nognog is a slur against those who are dark-skinned,” said Binay, who is dark-skinned.

The Nognog in the code name of the alleged plan is derived from the name of the lead character—a little, dark-skinned boy—in an eponymous comic strip popularized by cartoonist Leandro San Juan Martinez from the 1960s to the 1970s.

‘They want to jail me’

Binay said his detractors wanted to show that he was not fit for the presidency and would find ways “for me to be put in jail, to be impeached.”

A Senate blue ribbon subcommittee is investigating allegations of corruption against Binay, including overpricing in the construction of the P2.28-billion Makati City Hall Building II, pocketing kickbacks from municipal infrastructure projects when he was mayor of the city, and using dummies to conceal his ownership of real estate properties in Makati and Rosario town in Batangas province.

In his statement, Binay also accused Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV of being “antipoor” for saying he was only pretending to be one of the poor.

“All those behind the smear campaign against me think lowly of the poor and those who are dark-skinned,” he said.

Binay insisted that Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, his potential rival in the 2016 presidential race, was behind the smear campaign against him.