Nancy sees more ‘intrigues’ as campaign period nears

Senator Nancy Binay. FILE PHOTO

WITH the election campaign starting next week, Sen. Nancy Binay on Tuesday said her family expects the 2016 election campaign to break the record when it comes to “intrigues,” especially against her father, Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Binay urged people not to believe the negative political advertisements against her father as she stressed the Binay camp will never engage in negative campaigning during the campaign.

“The mere fact that there were 25 hearings in the Senate (against the elder Binay) is already a record and for sure in the 2016 election we will break many records so as to stop our Vice President from helping our people,” the senator said, referring to the now terminated hearings by a Senate blue ribbon subcommittee on the corruption allegations against Binay that ran for almost two years.

“I hope our people who saw those [negative] ads don’t believe in those kinds of smears,” Binay said.

She said it was not in the character of Filipinos to destroy others as she noted that the Binay camp has been “consistent” in relaying their message on “how to help people” and has never engaged in negative campaigning.

Asked whether she thought the negative ads will affect her father’s improved ratings in presidential surveys, she said there may be some effect.

Asked whether she believed the group of administration standard bearer Mar Roxas was behind the negative ads, she said there was a “big possibility” considering the latter’s camp had “resources to resort to that kind of smears.”

Meanwhile, Binay’s spokesperson told the Roxas camp and the Palace spokespersons not to resort to lies and smears but to address the “painful truth” of the Aquino administration’s failure to address poverty in the country after six years in office.

“The apparent full-court press of the Liberal Party against the Vice President is a crude attempt to divert attention from its utter failure to address poverty,” said Binay spokesperson Rico Quicho in a statement.

“This administration has failed to uplift the lives of the poor because of its ineptitude and incompetence. No sugar coating or diversionary tactics will cover up these glaring facts,” he said.