Binay to file presidential candidacy on Monday

Vice President Jejomar Binay: Hands-down winner INQUIRER PHOTO

CEBU CITY, Philippines—Vice President Jejomar Binay on Friday said he would file his certificate of candidacy (COC) for president on Monday before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as he remained mum on whether Sen. Gregorio Honasan will join him come filing time as his vice presidential running mate.

All Binay would tell reporters here was for media to wait on Monday the announcement to be made by his party, the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), on his running mate.

Asked whether Honasan remained unsure to be his vice presidential candidate, Binay said: “It’s only you who is saying that.”

Before speaking to reporters at Vicente Sotto Medical Center here, Binay led the Visayan-wide party launch of his party at Cebu Coliseum where he caused confusion on whether he announced his tandem with Honasan.

“UNA na, BinGo pa,” the Vice President said to the almost filled 5,000-capacity coliseum.

Binay made the statement amid giant tarpaulins of Honasan’s face and whose name included “Vice President” side by side with Binay’s own tarpaulins adorning the stage.

Asked on the tarpaulins of Honasan, he said probably someone put them up and then added he did not see the tarpaulins themselves because there were so many people crowding the coliseum.

Asked what he meant by uttering BinGo, he merely said the word stands for “winner” and attributed it to the popular game of chance.

UNA president and Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco also echoed Binay when asked whether the Binay-Honasan tandem was a go.

“We will find out by Monday when the Vice President files his COC,” Tiangco said in a text message.

Tiangco also made it clear that Honasan “never committed to show up in Cebu.” “So I don’t know why there was an expectation for him to be there,” he added.

Sen. Vicente Sotto III, a close friend of Honasan, said the senator’s family had not yet decided on whether he should run for vice president.