Will Binay resign from Aquino Cabinet?

President Aquino (right) and Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Not just yet. Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday hinted that he won’t be leaving the Cabinet despite an invitation to do so by President Benigno Aquino III.

“I have the highest respect for President Aquino and I will continue to be a team player,” Binay said hours after the President remarked on his criticisms against the administration.

During an ambush interview, Aquino chided Binay for not presenting solutions amid his complaints.

“If he thinks we have shortcomings, he is a member of the Cabinet so he should tell us. If not, tell us how to improve the system. And that is not a choice for him to make but an obligation as a member of the Cabinet,” Aquino had said. “If he thinks we are on a wrong direction, he is free not to join us.”

But Binay’s statement showed that he is steadfast in maintaining his positions as head of the Housing on Urban Development and Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and as Presidential Adviser on OFW (overseas Filipino workers) Affairs despite being an opposition leader.

Binay, who has close ties to the Aquino family, is the standard bearer of the opposition in 2016. He has railed against the current situation of the country but has denied criticizing the President.

Because of his political ambition and his statements, Aquino’s allies have called for Binay’s resignation from the Cabinet.

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