Nothing ‘off-topic’ in VP’s talk

I wish to call the Inquirer editors’ attention to Paolo G. Montecillo’s report titled “Binay bares economic platform” (Second Front Page, 5/20/14).

I take strong exception to Montecillo’s characterization of Vice President Jejomar C. Binay’s speech at the Financial Times-First Metro Philippines Investment Summit as “a bid to curry favor” with the business leaders in attendance. The Vice President was invited by the Financial Times (FT) to speak at the opening program of the FT-First Metro summit. His speech was aligned with the theme of the summit, which is “Gearing Up for Asean Integration.”

The topics raised by the Vice President were the same points he discussed in previous business forums, among them the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Banyan Tree Leadership Forum in Washington DC, where he was the keynote speaker.

There is nothing off-topic in the speech, or not previously articulated by the Vice President in speeches before business leaders. There is nothing in the speech that was meant to ingratiate the Vice President to the business community or to make them like him—which is the meaning of the idiomatic expression “to curry favor.”

—JOEY SALGADO,

spokesperson  and head, Media Affairs,

Office of the Vice President