Vice President Jejomar Binay. Marc Jayson Cayabyab/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
Former Finance Secretary Margarito “Gary” Teves on Tuesday vouched that Vice President Jejomar Binay would secure a win in Negros Oriental.
In an interview with reporters in Sibulan, Negros Oriental where Binay is conducting his campaign sortie, Teves said he is confident the province would give Binay a win this upcoming May 9 presidential elections.
Binay lost big in the province during the vice presidential race in 2010.
Teves vowed that his family would support Binay’s presidential bid.
Teves was Negros Oriental third district representative from 1987 to 1998. He served as president of the Land Bank of the Philippines from 2000 to 2005 and then as Finance Secretary of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from 2005 to 2010.
Teves said the situation is different now, with different organizations throwing its back on the vice president.
“Marami namang tumutulong na ngayon, maraming parallel organizations. Dumadami na rin ‘yong katulong niya sa pulitika,” Teves said.
(There are many who are extending their help, there are many parallel organizations. He (Binay) are also gaining supporters in politics.)
“So, i-combine mo ‘yon plus ‘yong nagawa na niya tsaka mas kilala na siya ngayon. So, makakatulong na rin ‘yon,” he added.
(So, combine those [I mentioned] plus his accomplishments and he also became more popular now. So, all these things will help [him in the elections].)
Binay has chosen Teves as his economic adviser should he win as president. Teves is also the treasurer of Binay’s political party, the United Nationalist Alliance.
Teves said Binay would improve the hospitals in Negros Oriental by sourcing the funds from the sin tax.
“One is, making sure that budget for hospitals especially those arising from the sin tax law, because the LGUs (local government units) have a share in the sin tax law. So, a lot can be given to all the hospitals including Negros Oriental,” Teves said.
Binay is securing his alliances in Negros Oriental, as his political nemesis Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II is securing Negros Occidental with the support of its governor Alfredo Maranon Jr.
Roxas won big in both Negros provinces in the 2010 vice presidential race.
In Negros Oriental, Roxas got 257,234 votes while Binay only got 96,759.
In Negros Occidental, Roxas won 707,313 votes against Binay’s 221,679.
In the 2016 elections, Negros Oriental has 785,712 registered voters, while Negros Occidental has 1,663,492 registered voters.
Roxas has vowed to establish one Negros region by combining the two provinces in the Negros Island. RAM
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