Binay to Islamic leaders: No peace for Mindanao under Duterte presidency

Presidential candidate Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON

Vice President Jejomar Binay was on the offensive again against fellow presidential aspirant Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, warning Islamic religious leaders in the latter’s turf that Mindanao would find no peace under a Duterte presidency.

“We Muslims and Christians have the moral responsibility not to vote for Duterte,” Binay said during his meeting with the Grand Mufti and Ustadz of Region 9 and Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

Emphasizing the need to continue peace negotiations, the United Nationalist Alliance standard-bearer said a “decisive and compassionate” leadership was needed to ensure lasting peace in Mindanao.

“Kasama sa priority agenda ko (That is part of my priority agenda) that we will continue talking and work for lasting peace here in this part of Mindanao,” Binay said.

“We will always pursue peace. I will talk with anybody and continue negotiations. ‘Yong BBL, hindi masasayang ang effort diyan dahil kahit hindi naipasa kasi magiging kasama ito ng working paper sa pag-uusap natin (The BBL, the effort put into it won’t go to waste because despite not having been passed, it will be included in the working paper in our talks),” he added.

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Binay earlier accused Duterte of being an “executioner of the poor” amid the tough-talking mayor’s alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings in Davao. CDG

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