PROVIDENCE has brought Vice President Jejomar Binay and Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II together. Former foes during coup attempts against then President Corazon Aquino, they now stand as the opposition’s main candidates in the 2016 presidential polls.
“Now we have found each other,’’ Honasan said of his partnership with Binay under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) party.
But it is a team-up that will see them campaigning separately most of the time, Honasan said.
Still, it would be a partnership that would offer “experience and capability to implement programs and policies whatever it takes,’’ the senator said.
As expected, Binay and Honasan sealed their team-up when they filed together Monday their certificates of candidacy (COCs) for President and Vice President, respectively, at the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The pair was the first to make their candidacies official from among at least three political tandems that include Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas with Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo, and Sen. Grace Poe with Sen. Francis Escudero.
In full force
Binay’s family came in full force to support him. His wife Elenita Binay and their children Sen. Nancy Binay, Makati City Rep. Abigail Binay and dismissed Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay accompanied him in filing his COC.
Honasan came with his wife Jane.
Before they went to the Comelec office in Intramuros, Binay and Honasan met at nearby San Agustin Church where Binay, referring to their party, exclaimed: “UNA na, BinGo pa.’’
It was there that Honasan, explaining his decision to run as vice presidential candidate of Binay, said he was a “good soldier’’ and he would “follow the party that I help organized.’’
That was after he said he was able to convince his family of his need to run out of “sense of duty.’’
How providence works
At a news conference, Honasan spoke a mouthful of the campaign he and Binay would wage, as well as the irony of their eventually teaming up.
“Can you imagine how providence has worked in the case of the Vice President and myself?’’ he said, reminding reporters that they were on opposite sides during the coup attempts against Cory Aquino in the 1980s.
“During that time, then Mayor Binay and Colonel Gringo were looking for each other. We were hunting each other down. Now we have found each other,’’ said Honasan, an Army colonel at the time leading the coups with his Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) group.
“We were fighting each other for a principle,’’ he said.
That was why Honasan said that while the country’s problem was economic in nature, the first step should be “political.’’
‘Culture of anger’
He called for healing and unification on such issues as finally burying the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose remains are at the Marcos mausoleum in Ilocos Norte province.
“Bury once for all this culture of anger, hatred and vindictiveness. Give everybody due process,’’ Honasan said.
No, they are not afraid of going head-on with the administration’s “resource-driven’’ campaign, he said, adding they would focus on poverty alleviation, employment and security.
“Our dream is just like the dream of everybody … to go home in a country that is safe, strong and free. Anybody who gets in the way, no matter how high you are, especially if you are a criminal element, we have the track record to implement it,’’ he said.
Honasan made it clear he and Binay would go after criminals and those involved in corruption.
Complete lineup
Honasan said he and Binay would campaign separately although they would campaign together “when we need to be together but it would be rare.’’
On the UNA senatorial lineup, he said the party was looking for “credible people’’ and its criteria were for them to support the UNA platform.
Binay said UNA would have a complete Senate lineup before Oct. 16, last day for candidates to file their COCs.
The presence of Junjun did not escape media attention. The younger Binay said he, too, would file his COC for mayor within the week even if the Ombudsman had ordered his perpetual disqualification from public office over the alleged anomalous construction of Makati City Hall Building II.
‘Evil design’
Mayor Binay said he would seek reelection because the Ombudsman’s order was not yet final.
He said the suspension and removal orders against him seemed to be by “evil design.’’
Representative Binay said the prospect of her running for mayor instead of her brother was still being studied.
“We are just engaged in scenario-building on what we can do. Let’s just wait until Friday,’’ she said. She also said her husband would run for her position next year.
Lacson also running
For her part, Senator Binay said the family would have to talk about her brother’s case and that they would do what was best for the people.
Asked whether she was hoping former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada would support her father’s presidential candidacy, she said: “While there’s life, there is hope.’’
“So let’s just wait… Even the day before the elections, some people tend to change their minds,’’ Senator Binay also said.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson also filed his COC as an independent senatorial candidate.
Angel Locsin
Asked how confident he was of getting elected again, Lacson said: “No one can be confident. What is important is to begin campaigning when the campaign period begins.”
Actress Angel Locsin drew crowds as she accompanied Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares when the latter filed his candidacy for senator.
Locsin, who is Angelica Colmenares in real life, is a relative, said the party-list lawmaker.
“I am running for senator so that we will have a fighter in Senate,” Colmenares said in Filipino.
He vowed to push for the lowering of the prices of electricity and water. He also vowed to strengthen public service.
Former Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) Chair Camilo Sabio, despite having difficulty walking following a stroke he suffered two years ago, also filed his COC for the presidency.
Sabio, 78, said he was the only person with disability running for the presidency. He said he decided to run because he wanted to lead the people out of the bondage of poverty.
