United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) standard bearer Vice President Jejomar C. Binay raises the hands of his children, daughter Second District Makati Rep. Abegail “Abby” Binay (left), who is running for mayor of Makati, and Junjun Binay during the proclamation rally of Abby held at the intersection of Metropolitan Avenue, Chino Roces Avenue and Pablo Ocampo Extension.
PHOTO BY JOAN BONDOC/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday admitted that he turned sentimental in endorsing his daughter Makati Rep. Abigail “Abby” Binay for her mayoralty bid in the city.
This is because the vice president saw a 40,000-strong crowd in Pasong Tamo, Makati on Monday expressing their support for the Binays amid the corruption allegations hounding the family.
“Talagang maraming tao kagabi. So nandun pa ang pagmamahal sa Binay family. Nakakatuwa,” Binay told reporters in Cebu City, Cebu, where he is set to attend a grand proclamation rally.
(There were many people last night. So the love for Binay family is still there. It delights me.)
The presidential candidate in the upcoming May national elections said his whole family, whose members were all present in expressing their support for Rep. Abby, was emotional amid the several allegations thrown against them.
“Siyempre, dala-dala pa namin ang pagbibintang na walang katotohanan. Yon lang. Siyempre kapag ganyan, nasasaktan ka. Nakita mo naman ang suporta sa iyo ng tao. Medyo sentimental,” Binay said.
(Of course, we are carrying the untruthful accusations against us. That’s all. Of course, when there are allegations, I am hurt. But when I saw the people’s support for us, it became slightly sentimental.)
During the proclamation rally, Binay hugged and kissed her daughter Abby, in endorsing her for her mayoralty bid against acting Makati Mayor Romulo “Kid” Peña, who replaced her brother Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr. when the latter was dismissed as Makati mayor over graft and corruption allegations in connection with the allegedly overpriced Makati car park building.
READ: Binay family affair at Makati proclamation rally
The Binays have long dominated the business district since the vice president was appointed by the late President Corazon “Cory” Aquino as officer-in-charge of Makati in 1986.
The Binay patriarch served as Makati mayor from 1986 to 1998 and 2001 to 2010 until he was elected vice president.
His wife Elenita served from 1998 to 2001 although her term was haunted with graft raps over allegedly overpriced hospital equipment and city hall furnishings.
His son Junjun was elected in 2010 until he was sacked by the Office of the Ombudsman over the graft-ridden Makati car park project.
READ: Ombudsman orders dismissal of Junjun Binay
Abby is outgoing Makati representative on her third and last term, while her sister Nancy is an incumbent senator.
Junjun was indicted with his father by the Ombudsman for graft, malversation and falsification of public documents for allegedly rigging the construction and design of the purportedly overpriced P2.8 billion Makati car park building.
READ: Ombudsman orders graft, falsification, malversation raps vs Binays
Junjun was formally charged before the Sandiganbayan for graft and falsification. The Ombudsman vowed to charge the vice president when his immunity expires at the end of his term.
The vice president was also a subject of a yearlong Senate investigation which probed allegations of millions of kickbacks for him when he was Makati mayor from purportedly overpriced infrastructure deals.
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) also probed Binay’s bank accounts and found numerous joint bank accounts with supposed dummies to stow away alleged ill-gotten wealth. RAM