Binay finally concedes
VICE President Jejomar Binay has finally conceded defeat to presumptive president Rodrigo Duterte and urged his supporters to throw their support behind the incoming administration.
READ: At last… Binay concedes, congratulates Duterte
“We ask everyone to set aside partisanship and help the incoming administration move this nation towards unity and healing,” Binay’s communications director Joey Salgado said in a statement.
Binay called up Duterte around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday to congratulate him for his victory in the presidential race, according to Salgado.
“The Vice President respects the voice of the people,” said Salgado.
The conversation between the two men were “cordial,” according to Salgado. “He extended his congratulations and wished the [presumptive] president all the best.”
During the phone conversation between Binay and Duterte, Salgado said the Vice President addressed the presumptive president as “Mr. President.”
The talk between Binay and Duterte was also “filled with laughter,” according to Binay’s son, dismissed Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay, who overheard his father’s phone conversation with Duterte.
He said this was “not surprising considering their ties.”
The ties between the two men—both strong mayors of their respective cities—were affected during the campaign period as they both threatened to have each other jailed should they become president for certain violations of the law.
Binay’s call to Duterte came four days after he issued a statement almost midnight on Monday, saying he would respect the outcome of the presidential elections.
At that time, Duterte was already the runaway winner based on the unofficial count of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) that showed his votes were millions away from his presidential rivals.
Binay had remained at fourth spot in the ongoing PPCRV tally, trailing administration standard-bearer Mar Roxas and independent candidate Sen. Grace Poe.
Poe and Roxas had already conceded defeat to Duterte and wished him well as the successor of President Aquino.
It was the first electoral defeat for Binay. TVJ
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