Binay open to presidential debates

Philippine Vice-President Jejomar C. Binay AP FILE PHOTO

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday said he was open to taking part in presidential debates as proposed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) so the people would know if the candidates were ready for the presidency.

In a radio interview, Binay welcomed the Comelec proposal to hold presidential debates ahead of next year’s elections.

“Because this is a way for our people, a chance for them to examine, hear those seeking the presidency if they are ready, if they have the capability and if the candidates’ desire for our countrymen are really genuine,” Binay said in Filipino.

Binay also hoped that next May’s elections would not revert to manual counting.

“That is scary,” he said, adding he had participated in past elections where manual voting was conducted and cheating happened. Binay, his wife and their children have never lost a manual election.

“We should have a believable, honorable and clean election. So that the people’s desires and not cheating would really come out,” Binay added.

Meanwhile, Binay said he expected Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV to again peddle lies at the resumption of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee hearing on corruption allegations against him on Aug.20 and 26.

Trillanes had said he had a new expose against Binay and his son, suspended Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay.

Binay said the subcommittee hearing should be placed in the Guinness World Records for the longest Senate hearing since it will mark its one-year anniversary on Aug. 20.

“.. (I) will not be surprised that somebody would say there are checks, there are falsified documents, false checks here…. These hearings have run so long, it’s just the same lies from the start,” he said.

Despite his blanket denials, Binay has never confronted his accusers to directly answer the accusations of massive corruption against him and members of his family, preferring instead to let his spokespersons do the talking.