Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Grace Poe tackle the coco levy funds during the second presidential debate in UP Cebu. SCREENGRAB FROM TV5
Vice President Jejomar Binay likened Senator Grace Poe to Nazi Germany’s head of propaganda Paul Joseph Goebbels during the second presidential debate in Cebu City Sunday as they engaged in a verbal tussle about the coco levy fund.
Poe was asked by panelist Lourd De Veyra on her reaction for being tagged as a “puppet” of Danding Cojuangco.
To which Poe replied: “Hindi ko dinedepensahan si Danding Cojuangco. Ang pera na ‘yan, ay hawak na ng gobyerno (I am not defending Danding Cojuangco. But the funds are already with the government).”
READ: Grace defends Danding on coco levy
The Cojuangco-led Nationalist People’s Coalition earlier said it is supporting Poe’s presidential run.
READ: NPC goes for Poe-Escudero
The senator said that she did not sign the law pushing for the distribution of the coco levy fund to farmers because the farmers were not included in the talks.
“Ang pera na ‘yan ay hawak na ng gobyerno ngayon. Gusto ni Presidente Aquino na magkaroon ng executive order kung paano gagastusin ‘yan. Pero ito ay pinitesyon ng mga magsasaka at nagsabi na hindi puwede ‘yan. Kaya ang Korte Suprema na ang nagpetisyon na dapat isang batas ay ipasa para gastusin ‘yun. Ngayon, itong batas na ito ay dinedebate pa rin sa Senado.”
(The funds are already with the government. President Aquino wants an executive order on how to spend them. But the farmers already filed a petition opposing it. That’s why the Supreme Court decided that there should be a law on how to spend the funds. Now this law is still be debated in the Senate.)
“Hindi ko pinirmahan ‘yun sa simpleng pananaw lamang na kailangan may representasyon ang mga magsasaka. Kailangan mapunta sa kanila ang pera. Kailangan (sa) research and development. Kailangan ng scholarship para sa kanilang mga anak,” the poll frontrunner said.
(I did not sign it simply because it lacks representation from the farmers. They should be the recipients of the funds. There should be research and development. Their children should be given scholarships.)
She was earlier hit by critics for saying that the government should be the one to implement the SC ruling that the coco levy fund should be distributed to farmers.
She was then hit by Binay for promising voters both heaven and earth just to be elected to office. Binay said that there is no money left to give to the farmers.
“Itong mga pagkakataon talagang pangako lang nang pangako. Madame Senator, nandiyan pa po ang pera? Wala na po ang pera. Papel na lang po,” the vice president said.
(We are being fed with promises during this time. Madame Senator are the funds still available? Not anymore. These are just documents.)
The neophyte senator challenged Binay’s claim, asking him how he came up with his claim.
“Pinag-aralan o pinadaan sa Philrem (Did you study it or did it slide by Philrem)?” Poe said—a swipe against the vice president who allegedly used the remittance company currently involved in a money laundering scandal.
This tirade did not sit well with the opposition leader, alleging that Poe is a “disciple of Goebbels.”
“Isa ka pa sa kasama ni (Joseph) Goebbels. Ano ang relasyon ng Philrem dito? Pinatatanong ko lang sa’yo kung alam mo ba na walang pera kasi puros papel na lang ang natitira,” an irked Binay said.
(You are like a follower of Goebbels. What does Philrem have to do with this? I just asked you if you know if the funds and not just the documents are still available.)
Poe said that in a 2012 ruling, the high court has already directed the government to return the money to the farmers. In case that the money went missing, the senator said that an investigation should be conducted.
Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945.
He is created for the quote: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” IDL
RELATED VIDEOS
