Vic President Jejomar Binay, with his diehard followers from Makati City hauled in and providing all-out support and hoopla, “occupied” the Philippine International Convention Center premises last Sept. 15 supposedly to defend himself and his dynasty against accusations of massive corruption. Those wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt waited with bated breath to hear what the most-likely-to-become-the-next-president of the Republic had to say. Instead, they heard him eulogizing himself to death! It was a total disappointment.
It was like former chief justice Renato Corona doing an ill-advised monologue in his defense at the impeachment trial all over again. Like Corona, Binay dodged the issues despite loud protestations of innocence and repeated promises to “answer the accusations point by point.” His own daughter, Sen. Nancy Binay, gave the people good reason to hear him out before rushing to judgment. She said her father would “prove them all wrong” and make their accusers fall flat on their faces. That did not happen. Worse, like Corona who avoided questioning by the senator-judges after his long-winded “opening statement,” Binay evaded questions from the press and the public after his histrionics.
He might as well have said: “The Vice President, and soon-to-be President, of the Republic of the Philippines now wishes to be excused!” The shield provided by his supporters right after delivering his speech to keep him from “answering” any question from anyone was far too damaging to earn him any sympathy from a public hungry for honesty and transparency in these times.
Being so used to getting away with anything in Makati City and orating mostly before his loyalists who take his word at face value and without question, he probably forgot he was on national TV and that the whole nation was watching him suspiciously. In the minds of most people outside of Makati City, what other verdict could there be now?!
—JEREMIAS HECHANOVA,
jeremhech@gmail.com