Quit or stay, Binay camp divided on VP

Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER file photo

The camp of the Vice President Jejomar Binay is divided on whether he should resign from the Cabinet amid calls for him to step down following the leak of a report by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on the alleged multi-million-peso bank accounts of the Vice President, his family and his alleged dummies.

But according to United Nationalist Alliance interim president Toby Tiangco, he would advise Binay to stay and continue carrying out his duties as the head of the agencies dealing with housing and overseas Filipino workers’ concerns.

“There are two sides to this. Both have their good reasons. There are people (in his circle) advising him that he must wait until the filing of the COC (certificate of candidacy) in October and I am one of those people,” Tiangco said.

Tiangco noted that Binay would be considered resigned from his Cabinet posts once he files his candidacy in October, according to the rules for appointed officials.

“The Vice President has been doing a very good job in taking care of the OFWs and housing sector. He should maximize the opportunity to serve the public. They voted for him to do so,” Tiangco said.

On the other side are people advising Binay to let go of his Cabinet posts. “It’s for political reason. Since he was not getting support from some of the Cabinet members, some believe his effort could just go to waste,” Tiangco said.

“Napopolitika pa siya (His work is being politicized),” he said, quoting some people in the Binay camp.

Tiangco said he didn’t know yet which side Binay is leaning. “The Vice President does not speak about that to us yet. He was just listening. He would speak if he is 100 percent sure,” he said.