Duterte’s apology not sincere—Binay

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday slammed his rival Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, saying his apology was not sincere.

Binay issued the statement after Duterte was heavily criticized for his controversial remarks about the 1989 gang rape and murder of Australian lay missionary Jaqueline Hamill by prisoners inside the Davao City Police Office.

“Hindi dapat bigyan ng pagkakataon si Mr. Duterte na maging pangulo,” he said.

(Mr. Duterte shouldn’t be given the chance to become president.)

READ: Binay asks public not to vote for ‘berdugo’ Duterte

He said Duterte’s apology, which he believed was not sincere, could not erase the damage done by his derogatory remarks.

“Bukod sa siya ay pumapatay ng mahihirap, wala rin siyang respeto sa kababaihan. Pati ang isang babaeng namatay ay gusto pa niyang gahasain. Hindi mabubura ng isang paumanhin–na halata namang hindi sinsero–ang katotohanan na sinabi niya ito. Hindi lang minsan, kung hindi dalawang ulit pa,” Binay said.

(Besides his killing of the poor, he also has no respect for women. He even wants to rape a dead woman. An apology–which is obviously not sincere–can’t erase the fact that he said this. Not just occasionally, but two times.)

READ: Duterte apologizes, asks for chance to ‘protect women, children’

The vice president said Duterte could never protect women and children.

“Kailanman ay hindi mapapangalagaan ni Mr. Duterte ang mga bata at kababaihan. Si Mr. Duterte mismo ay umamin na siya ay pumapatay ng mga bata, nang-molestya ng kanilang kasambahay, at ginagawang katatawanan ang panggagahasa,” he said.

(Duterte cannot take care of women and children. Duterte himself admitted that he kills children, molested their helper, and joked about rape.)

He said that thousands were raped and killed in Davao City where Duterte has served as mayor for more than two decades.

“Hindi magiging ligtas ang mga bata at kababaihan sa Pilipinas kung mismong sa Davao City kung saan siya ay mayor ay daan-daan ang nagagahasa at libu-libo ang pinapatay,” he said.

(Children and women won’t be safe in the Philippines if in Davao City itself, where he is mayor, there are hundreds of rape victims and thousands are being killed.)

He urged Filipinos not to vote for the tough-taking mayor.

“Tungkulin natin bilang mga nananalangin sa Diyos at bilang Pilipino na huwag iboto si Mr. Duterte. Itong ginagawa niya ay hindi maka-Diyos at hindi makatao,” he said.

(It is our duty as God’s faithful and Filipinos not to vote for Duterte. What he is doing is ungodly and inhuman.)

He said killing is not the solution to poverty.

“Hindi solusyon sa kahirapan ang pagpatay ng mahihirap. Ang solusyon sa kahirapan ay trabaho, edukasyon, gamot, at pagkain,” he said.

(Killing the poor is not the solution to poverty. The solution to poverty is jobs, education, medicine, and food.)

He also claimed that Duterte takes the law into his own hands, saying, “Itinuturing ang sarili na isang Diyos na may kapangyarihang mamili kung sino ang mabubuhay o mamamatay,” he said.

(He thinks of himself as God who has the power to choose who lives or who dies.) JE