Chiz as Mar’s running mate

Chin Chin Katigbak’s lament (“The Binay nightmare is Escudero’s doing,” Opinion, 5/21/15) was validated by events reported in the June 6 Inquirer headline, “Chiz not part of LP plan.” Katigbak opined that it was Sen. Chiz Escudero who brought the Binay scourge from Makati to the entire country by suddenly and inexplicably endorsing in “last-minute” media ads the United Nationalist Alliance’s 2010 vice presidential candidate Jejomar Binay. Liberal Party candidate Mar Roxas lost resoundingly to Binay. Escudero had a huge following then among young voters who believed he had a good head on his shoulders and knew what he was doing.

With the Senate blue ribbon committee already recommending plunder indictments against the Binays and their cohorts, and he himself having found factual bases for those charges, Escudero should now man up and apologize to his constituents for having misled them.

The Inquirer headline revealed the LP was “still smarting from his 2010 spoiler’s role.” Indeed, having Escudero as Roxas’ running mate would be like sprinkling salt on a gaping wound; besides, it could cause more devastation to the LP. Escudero has fallen flat on his face on that one, all thanks to whistle-blower Ernesto Mercado: evidence of the Binay dynasty’s plunder in Makati has exposed the Binays for what they really are.

What voter in his right mind would still fall for the “underdog ploy” of that “poor boy from Paco, Manila” who rose to become a multibillionaire by keeping a bear hug on the rich coffers of Makati for decades? Binay, of course, countered he had already become rich from his “law practice” before entering public service! Funny, that was exactly what former president Ferdinand Marcos and former chief justice Renato Corona said in their defense against charges of ill-gotten wealth! But Binay’s tall tale was really one for Ripley’s “Believe it or not”—he earned his enormous wealth from handling “human rights” cases during martial law?!

Calling human rights lawyers Rene Saguisag and Joker Arroyo (who are still “poor”). What say you?

Well, unlike Katigbak, we cannot—will not—subscribe to the view that Binay’s full-throttle trajectory to Malacañang can no longer be deflected by any “torpedo”! We refuse to believe this nation is doomed. Miracles do happen. Only remember the past: Just when everyone thought it was impossible to get rid of Marcos and Corona, the Lord moved—in some mysterious ways!

—ANGELI O. MARCONI, [email protected]