Start of the Binays’ political demise

The freezing of the bank accounts of Vice President Jojo Binay totaling P600 million is the start of his political demise, as well as that of his children.

The freezing of bank deposits and other accounts has given credence to allegations that the Binays—Jojo, as Makati mayor, Jojo’s wife Elenita, a former Makati mayor herself, their children Makati Mayor Junjun, Senator Nancy and Congresswoman Abigail—have used their positions to amass wealth.

Now, the Binays can no longer deny they didn’t enrich themselves in office because the accounts in 242 banks and securities and insurance accounts are there for the public to see.

Their combined salaries as public officials could not have brought them that much wealth.

With the frozen assets out in the open, even the most rabid supporter of the Binays would have second thoughts voting for them come election time.

*   *   *

The Court of Appeals granted the petition of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to freeze the bank and other accounts of the Vice President, his wife Elenita, son Junjun and their alleged dummies.

Actually, the P600 million in bank deposits and securities and insurance accounts are not even half of the Binay loot.

Not included are the separate bank accounts and property holdings—such as the vast hacienda in Batangas and the numerous condominium units—of Elenita, Junjun, Nancy and Abigail and their many dummies which, as per AMLC’s estimate, totaled P16 billion since 2008!

A friend of the Binays told me in confidence they own “one-half of Makati” through real estate acquisitions.

That’s greed, unmitigated greed, in plain and simple language.

Even the Marcoses didn’t have that much money before their patriarch, Ferdinand, became president.

It’s not hard to imagine how much money the Binays would steal from the people if Jojo became our president.

*   *   *

Claro F. Certeza, the Binays’ lawyer, has made a clown of himself when he threatened to “prosecute to the fullest extent of the law” the Inquirer if this paper published, as it did yesterday, the freezing of the assets of Jojo Binay et al.

The Inquirer has been sued countless times for exposing irregularities or abuses committed by some government people and private individuals.

Our paper was not deterred by an advertising boycott for incurring the ire of the powers that be during the Estrada administration.

Now here comes a lawyer, who seems to have come from nowhere, waving his clenched fist at a newspaper giant for doing its job of informing the public.

*   *   *

Davao City is the 9th-safest city in the world, according to data released by crowdsourced rating site Numbeo.com.

Davao City followed Osaka, Japan; Munich, Germany; Stavanger, Norway; Singapore City, Singapore; Bursa, Turkey; Heidelberg, Germany; Seoul, South Korea; Bergen, Norway, in that order, as the safest cities in the world.

Should Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte run for president and win, the Philippines might become one of the safest destinations in the world for tourists.

And the looting of government coffers—as is allegedly done in Makati City—would be unheard of, if Duterte became president.