Binay camp after conceding: Set aside partisanship

Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER PHOTO

The camp of outgoing Vice President Jejomar Binay on Friday called on all parties to unite and help the incoming administration of presumptive President Rodrigo Duterte.

“We ask everyone to set aside partisanship and help the incoming administration move this nation toward unity and healing,” Binay’s communications director Joey Salgado said.

“The Vice President respect(s) the voice of the people. He congratulates the president-elect and wishes him all the best,” he added.

On Thursday, Salgado told media that Binay had called Duterte to congratulate him on his victory.

Salgado later said the call was made before 6 p.m. and that the Vice President’s son, dismissed Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay, was present.

“He (Junjun) describes the talk as light and cordial, filled with laughter which is not surprising considering their ties,” he said.

Salgado said Binay called Duterte “Mr. President.”

Binay and Duterte were both appointed officers-in-charge under the administration of Corazon Aquino after the Edsa People Power in 1986.

They both won successive terms in Makati (Binay) and Davao City (Duterte) and became a fixture in local governance.

Among the presidential aspirants, Sen. Grace Poe was the first to concede to Duterte. She was followed by former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.