Unlike his rich rivals, Binay says he hails from the poor

Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ NIñO JESUS ORBETA

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday said he rose from poverty, unlike his political rivals in the elections who he said came from elite families.

In his speech before the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the 41st Philippine Business Conference and Expo, Binay reiterated his programs catering to the poor because he has experienced himself the plight of the impoverished masses.

Binay, who stands accused of corruption as Makati mayor for 20 years and has a declared wealth of P60.25 million in 2014, said he came from a poor family, unlike his rivals who are from “propertied families.”

Liberal Party standard bearer Mar Roxas is a member of the elite Araneta clan and had a net worth of P202.08 million in 2014. Meanwhile, independent presidential candidate Grace Poe is the adopted daughter of the late action star “The King” Fernando Poe Jr. and had a declared wealth of P89.4 million in 2014. Meanwhile, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, another presidential aspirant, is the daughter of a trial judge in Iloilo and has a declared wealth of P73.033 million.

Binay himself faces allegations that he hid numerous properties behind several dummies, such as the so-called Hacienda Binay, a Fort Santiago property, and numerous condominium units allegedly given to him as gifts for rigging procurement contracts.

“Unlike my rivals, who come from propertied families and studied in exclusive schools here and abroad, I come from the ranks of the poor and rose from poverty through hard work, luck and perseverance,” Binay said.

“I am entirely the product of the public school system. I understood, from my childhood, how hard it is to eke out a living in a hostile economic environment. I appreciated the value of education in raising life expectations. I understood quite well how a society that rewards merit rather than birthright opens opportunities for those who work hard and cultivate talents,” Binay said.

Binay takes pride in experiencing feeding pigs and waking up early to go to the wet market to buy goods.

Binay has said he was orphaned early and that he had to work to get through high school and college, and eventually law school at the University of the Philippines, where he graduated to become a human rights lawyer against the Marcos dictatorship.

“My values are shaped by my own experiences,” Binay said.

Binay faces graft indictment before the Ombudsman for allegedly rigging the procurement for the design and construction of the P2.28 billion Makati City Hall Building II, deemed the country’s priciest car park building.

Besides the allegedly overpriced car park building, Binay faces four other plunder and graft complaints before the Ombudsman over the alleged anomalies involving the Makati Science High School building, University of Makati, a Fort Bonifacio property, and over an allegedly anomalous land deal between the Alphaland and the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, where Binay is long-running president. Binay decried political harassment by his detractors in the allegations.

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) also said in its report that at least P11 billion had been recorded in the 242 accounts of Binay, his alleged dummies, and his son Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr. since 2008.

Vice President Binay had denied allegations of hidden wealth and said that of the 242 accounts ordered frozen by the AMLC, only five were under his name and the money was obtained from legitimate sources of income.

In his speech before businessman, Binay lashed at the administration’s use of state agencies to persecute its rivals while turning a blind eye on allies.

“The rule of law is the best guarantee the poor will receive equal protection. This is in stark contrast to the whimsical rule by law. It is not rule of law, that misuses laws and manipulates state agencies to persecute political adversaries while protecting their cronies,” Binay said.

“This is why I chose to become a lawyer and why I have struggled for human rights, especially during the most trying times of Philippine democracy,” he added.