The Binays of Makati

MANILA, Philippines – A mango tree doesn’t bear a santol fruit.

Let’s not be surprised that Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay and his sister, Sen. Nancy Binay, acted the way they did when they were prevented by guards at the posh Dasmariñas Village from using a gate of the subdivision.

In 1986 when their father, Jejomar Binay, was still officer in charge of Makati, he ordered the closure of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) clubhouse for refusing to let his children use the club’s swimming pool because they were not accompanied by a member.

I was a witness to the elder Binay’s abusive behavior. I couldn’t use the club gym at that time because of the closure.

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The three guards who didn’t raise the gate’s barrier to allow the Binays’ convoy to pass through were arrested by Makati policemen and detained for four hours. The Binay camp, however, said the guards voluntarily went to police headquarters.

The two children of Vice President Binay, Jun and Nancy, said the report on the incident was blown out of proportion by the Inquirer.

This, despite a 24-minute video of the incident.

The Binays not only want to show who’s the boss; they’re also not truthful.

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The Binays, the epitome of a political dynasty, think they own Makati City because of their power and influence.

The father is vice president of the Republic; and the children are senator, mayor and congresswoman.

The mother used to be mayor who temporarily manned the fort for her husband when his three consecutive terms expired.

If you go around the city, you’ll find the letter “B”—with a tail—painted on walls in public places.

The “B” sign, which looks like a brand on cattle, stands for Binay, of course.

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Mayor Junjun goes around with a convoy of police bodyguards apparently to show that he’s the city’s boss.

The incident at the Dasmariñas Village was not the first time the mayor bared his fangs.

In the Dasmariñas incident, Junjun Binay was quoted by a source as saying to the guards, “Kilala ba ninyo ako? (Do you know me)?”

In another incident that took place at Rockwell Mall basement parking early this year, the younger Binay allegedly figured in an altercation with an Israeli whose car got ahead of his car in an empty parking slot.

During a heated exchange of words between Binay and the Israeli, the mayor allegedly blurted out to the foreigner, “Don’t you know me? I own this city.”

The Israeli left the country months later.

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The shooting at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s Terminal 3, which killed a town mayor and several others, was an incident waiting to happen.

Angel Honrado, Manila International Airport Authority general manager, doesn’t allow members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to keep the peace at the airport complex, which is their mandate.

Instead, Honrado has ordered the airport police, who are glorified security guards, to patrol the airport premises.

The airport police are not only as inefficient as Honrado, they’re also a bunch of goofs.