Respectful mayor

I have never met Vice President Jejomar Binay, but I have worked closely with Mayor Junjun Binay of Makati for the past three years, as one of the consultants from the University of the Philippines’ National Institute of Geological Sciences, who discovered the culprit behind the infamous West Tower leak.

I cannot believe what I read in the Inquirer regarding the alleged hubris of Mayor Binay (e.g., “Kilala mo ba kung sino ako,” etc.). In those years I dealt with the mayor, even in emergency situations at Bangkal, he was always respectful and ended his comments with “po,” including instances wherein he was castigating someone for a lousy job done.

I am not privy to what really happened in Dasmariñas, but the words being attributed to him and the picture being painted of Mayor Binay are very different from what I have seen personally.

If you really want a true picture of what the mayor is, ask the people who have elected and worked for him directly. You might be surprised to find out that the truth is very different from what is being portrayed.

—DR. CARLO ARCILLA, professor of geosciences and director, National Institute of  Geological Sciences, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City