Binay’s UNA teams up with Garcias’ One Cebu Party for May polls

CEBU CITY — Vice President Jejomar Binay can now get a slice of Cebu’s 2.5-million voting population – the country’s largest electorate.

The One Cebu Party of the Garcias sealed an alliance with Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) on Monday, and committed to support his presidential bid.

In a statement released at 7 p.m. on Monday, One Cebu chairman Winston Garcia said the party decided to back Binay for being the most experienced among the presidential candidates “to lead the Philippines in the next six years.”

“Vice President Binay has the proven public service track record as VP and former housing and OFW (overseas Filipino worker) czar. He has also presented the most credible, doable and economics-centrist platform of government among the other presidential candidates,” he said.

Garcia said he and other One Cebu leaders made their decision following a series of consultations with allies and different sectoral groups.

“We have done exhaustive consultations with Cebuanos from all walks of life and from all sectors of society,” the One Cebu statement said.

The statement added that they also took into consideration accusations of corruption against Binay during their consultations.

“I and the majority of the members of One Cebu believe that the Vice President would answer at the right time and at the right venue – the courts of law – the issues that have been raised against him,” he said.

Binay arrived in Cebu past 10 a.m. on Monday on board a Philippines Airlines flight from Manila.

He was welcomed by suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, UNA coordinator in the Visayas and mayoral bet here.

Binay had lunch with members of the Garcia family.

Aside from Garcia, also present in the lunch meeting were his sister, Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia of the 3rd district and father, former congressman  Pablo Garcia.

After the meeting, Binay dropped by the Ayala Center Cebu and then visited Cebu Archbishop emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.

In the evening, the Vice President went to the Rama compound in Barangay Basak Pardo in Cebu City to have dinner with the mayor and his allies.

He was expected to take an early morning flight on Tuesday back to Manila.

Garcia said Binay has been quietly going around the country to present directly to the people his vision of pushing the Philippines to become an economic giant.

“We closely looked at Vice President Binay’s platform and I see his administration getting wide support from the private sector in effecting inclusive economic growth, the kind that is felt by the poorest of the poor because jobs that put food on the table are generated,” said Garcia.

“Sadly, the purported economic gains being touted are not being felt by the majority of our countrymen. If Binay was able to improve a lot of the poor in Makati, he as President can surely do more to ease poverty in the urban and rural centers.”  SFM