MY POSTS ABOUT VP BINAY – PART THREE (As the year gets to a close, I am reposting the series of posts on Vice President Jejomar Binay. I did the collated posts when the series of controversies about his corrupt ways start to hound him in August this year. I did not expect the public reaction, particularly from netizens, mostly unheard be3fore I wrote those posts. It only goes to show that many netizens are not close minded to hear the other side of the story. The reactions of the Binay camp were most astonishing if not downright stupid. Many times, their trolls had invaded my wall not to argue or offer contrary views, but to malign me. They were cheap shots because no matter how they bashed, many netizens still manage to follow my posts. I am reposting them for posterity. They covered the period late August to Decem,ber this year. Please care to read and see the evolution of my views and interpretations of history. The date of post is written at its end.) BINAY’S FREE FALL Vice President Jejomar Binay’s free fall continues as he keeps on making a series of mistakes in the handling of the current spate of controversies that hound him and his family. As indicated by the recent SWS survey showing eight of every ten Filipinos calling for his appearance before the Senate, the Vice President’s refusal to give any statement under oath does not in any way help him to transcend his difficulties. On the contrary, the more he talks outside the Senate, the greater the public doubts that he earns, or the faster he sinks to ignominy. What he has shown so far is his erratic judgment, political immaturity, and inability to cope with public criticisms, the qualities that make him unfit for the presidency. He keeps on issuing public statements that tend to trigger some polarizing effects rather than clear the air and heal the wounds. Where did Binay go wrong? First, the Vice President should have appeared first before the probing Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee. It is constitutionally empowered to hold public hearings in aid of legislation. He should have confronted Senators Antonio Trillanes, Allan Peter Cayetano Koko Pimentel, and others in the same public hearing and challenge them to produce pieces of evidence that would show corruption in Makati. He should have given his testimony under oath, particularly when he felt his honor has been tarnished by what he described as “baseless and fabricated accusations of corruption.” His strategy to dodge the Senate is an act of cowardice. It does not in any way help him. The Vice President should have thrown his gauntlet in front of his critics to the point of issuing a challenge for a duel. But since duel is outlawed in the country, a public debate would do. His challenge to Trillanes for a public debate came a little late, but it remains doubtful if a debate with Trillanes could extricate him from his political free fall. Binay has everything to lose in the forthcoming debate, while Trillanes has everything to gain. Binay’s strategy “to go to the people” is nebulous. It is a useless and wornout argument that seeks to negate the recent SWS survey. Binay is oblivious to the message of that survey; he treats it as if it does not exist at all. Second his decision to seek help from the President showed desperation on his part. Like an aggrieved youngster, he went to his “kuya” to seek revenge, or “resbak.” But he was putting the President in a bind. He was invoking friendship, when Binay had sought the President’s intercession to stop the Senate the Department of Justice, and Office of the Ombudsman from its investigation of his corrupt ways. Binay apparently did not understand that using the presidential powers to stop the wheels of justice from grinding to its full course constitutes obstruction of justice, which is a culpable violation of the Constitution. Hence, the President could face impeachment raps. It was a good thing that the President knew and understood the implications of the Vice President’s request for him to step in and stop the process. What Binay had requested from the President was most stupid. It was plain and simple opportunism of the crass kind, as he invoked their friendship to push the President to commit a culpable violation of the Constitution. Only a sick mind could do that kind of request. Binay did not respect the Office of the President. He was mindful of his own personal interest and his family’s. Third, Binay’s biggest mistake is his inability to transform himself into a politician of national significance and consequence. His mental processes show that he still thinks as if he were a local official, a political warlord. Binay looks at the Philippines as one big Makati, unmindful of the dynamics in the national level. He does not know that he does not interact anymore with the likes of Gerry Limlingan. Ernesto Mercado, and other subalterns. In national politics, it is totally different. It has a multiparty system where every party has its own political stars. It has institutions like Congress, where every member is a separate republic, believing as if he is God’s gift to Philippine democracy. In short, Binay could never be autocratic on the national level. He should behave in a way befitting of a vice president, who is one heart beat away from the presidency. For a politician who is aspiring to become the next president, Binay should fully understand these dynamics in national politics. But he has never metamorphosed. He has not transformed himself. That partly explains his sudden and uncontrollable free fall. Oct. 24 TEXT MESSAGE OF THE WEEK. Sa Africa, EBOLA; sa Makati, EBULSA... Touche! Oct. 24 BINAY-TRILLANES PUBLIC DEBATE This morning, Jun Nicdao, executive director of the Kapisan ng Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), said that the KBP is taking the moves to hasten the hyped public debate between Vice President Jojo Binay and Sen. Sonny Trillanes. In an interview with Deo Macalma and Karen Young over dzRH, Nicdao confirmed that the public debate would take place in “two weeks or less” as the KBP executives iron out with the two parties the mechanics and ground rules of the public debate. According to Nicdao, Binay first hurled the challenge when Binay spoke in a KBP gathering a few days ago. Reacting to Macalma’s needling that the challenge was more of a joke, Nicdao confirmed that it was not, as Binay and the KBP people were in a serious mood discussing the controversial issue of corruption and illegal wealth against the Binay family. As planned and projected, Nicdao said the public debate would be aired nationwide with complete media coverage. The ground rules have to be agreed by the two parties. The venue has yet to be determined, although the Trillanes camp was said to be keen to the Vice President’s challenge that it could be held at the Hacienda Binay in Rosario, Batangas. At this point, I could say candidly that Binay, a seasoned politician, has everything to lose, while Trillanes, a relatively political upstart catapulted to the national imagination by the Oakwood mutiny and the corruption of the GMA administration, has everything to gain. It is poor politics for senior political leaders to hurl challenges to political upstarts, but Binay appears emotional and irrational nowadays as he could not extricate himself from the current sticky situation. Incidentally, only Trillanes is the non-lawyer from Binay’s main tormentors in the Senate and this could explain Binays choice of him. Binay is a lawyer. It would be poor politics for Binay to turn his back from the public challenge he has thrown. One does not take take back the gauntlet thrown to a tormentor in a challenge for duel. Binay has reached the point of no return. To back out from the public debate would reflect gargantuan cowardice on his part. But it would appear too that a public debate from one of his main protagonists would be a better alternative than go to the Senate where, the likes the Allan Peter Cayetano and Koko Pimentel, two lawyers, would devour him with no mercy. For Trillanes, this is exactly what he has dreamed of in his political career. This would project him in the national spotlight and establish his credential as a serious political leader. Heaven seems to be rewarding the tenacity and persistence of this former military man. And he is receiving all the favors from heaven without necessarily asking for them. Oct. 23 RAMBOTITO OR RAMBUTAN. Shortly before lunchtime, I attended a news conference at the House of Representatives, where Caloocan City Rep. Egay Erice and Quezon City Rep. Winnie Castelo jointly attended to speak on their respective initiatives. Castelo spoke largely on the necessity for the President to appoint a traffic czar, who would orchestrate traffic decongestion in Metro Manila and the fast tracking of those antiflood projects in the metropolis. For his part, Erice spoke largely on the Jejomar Binay issue. Erice said with the way Binay was dodging the Senate hearing, the latter did not deserve to be called Rambotito. When a reporter mused on how should be called, a pair of irreverent journalists chorused: Rambutan. Of course, we could not help but laugh... Oct. 14 THE VP AS LOSER Incumbent vice presidents who broke away from incumbent presidents ended up as losers. They hardly reached the pinnacle of power to become president. Vice President Emmanuel Pelaez found out this quite late in his incumbency. When he broke away from President Diosdado Macapagal as a result of an acrimonious divergence of opinions and resigned his post as foreign affairs secretary, he was relegated in political limbo. As his daughter (a media colleague) told me in one merienda session in our office, Maning Pelaez regretted his decision because he was hardly heard again since his breakaway with Cong Dadong. He changed his political party affiliation from Liberal Party to join the Nacionalista Party. Ferdinand Marcos beat him badly in the NP national convention in 1965. For this reason, he was suffered the ignominy of being branded a “political butterfly” for changing his party affiliation. Vice President Fernando Lopez also broke away from Marcos, but just like Pelaez, he did not become president. He just retired from politics. Doy Laurel broke away from Cory Aquino in 1987, but he was marginalized after his breakaway. He ran in the 1992 presidential elections but he placed 8th among the eight serious presidential candidates. Erap Estrada did not have the heart to break away from FVR. He became president even when FVR supported Jose De Venecia. Tito Guingona broke away from GMA, but he too was marginalized. He had opted to retire from politics, leaving his son and namesake to search his own political niche and destiny. TG Guingona is now a senator.. Will Vice President Jojo Binay win in 2016, if ever he will break away from PNoy? That remains to be seen though. So far, he has not resigned his Cabinet post. At the moment, he enjoys the best of two worlds, or political opportunism. Many things will happen, but it pays to understand historical antecedents. Oct. 15 SO WHAT’S THE EMERGING END GAME? At the rate Vice President Jejomar Binay is being bashed left and right and marginalized before the court of public opinion, here comes the emerging question: What is the end game? Knowing his passion and drive to become the next president by 2016, the Vice President would pursue his presidential bid without letup, ignoring the clamor for him to appear before the public hearing of Senate blue ribbon subcommittee and give his side under oath. Despite his humble origin, the Vice President is an extremely proud and complex man. On that basis, he would do everything to defy all odds and run for president in 2016. There is simply no way to stop him. In fact, he believes it is his destiny to become the next president. But to win the next elections is another story. Binay looks at 2016 as his swan song. Either he makes it or he won’t. He will be 75 years old by 2016. Knowing that age is not on his side, he would do everything to win. But his political antagonists are equally driven and intelligent. Sen. Antonio Trillanes did not suffer seven years of imprisonment only to blink in an eyeball to eyeball situation with the Vice President. Sen. Allan Peter Cayetano is an articulate lawyer and lawmaker, who knows his law, while Sen. Koko Pimentel, the subcommittee chair, did not top the Bar examinations without understanding the majesty of law. The Filipino people could expect an extremely political bloody scene in leading to the 2016 presidential elections. Plenty of political corpses are expected to litter the road leading to the next elections. The way the Vice President’s popularity, trust, and approval ratings have been plunging as the Senate public hearings continue, the people could expect a more even political field with no presidential candidate holding a clear-cut and distinct political advantage over the rest of the field. Who will reap the political dividends over the Vice Presidents travails? Will it be any of the following: Senators Grace Poe, Cayetano, and Francis Escudero, or DILG Secretary Mar Roxas, and Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada? A lot depends on how the political dynamics would cascade to the Filipino people. At the moment, the political horizon does not show so much except for the Vice President, who is still gasping for breath. If the Vice President would fail to recover or stop his skidding popularity, the choice is for him to withdraw the presidential field, leave it to the aspiring candidates, and retire from politics. By doing it, his three children could be spared of the collateral damage, as they continue with their political careers. This is intended to minimize whatever damage the Senate investigation could inflict on him and his family. Meanwhile, the remaining presidential candidates would continue in their posturings, grandstandings, and maneuverings for the next elections. Oct. 9 STRESSFUL WORK I perfectly understand why the lady lawyer representing Vice President Jejomar Binay has collapsed while doing a public presentation. Ask any active lawyer and he will tell you that litigation works are very stressful for every lawyer. It is not a profession for the lesser mortals. Successful lawyers have a high threshold for stress. On the personal side, my late father, who was a lawyer, once encouraged me to take up law. But I declined. I became a journalist instead. Journalists should also have a high threshold for stress. I did not know the two professions require so much endurance from stress... Sept. 24 AUTHOR’S NOTE: I had no plan to write about the issue of state visits. But because of a post by Harry Roque, a self-proclaimed public interest lawyer who has been claiming to have been representing pro bono cases out of his love for the poor and downtrodden, I am inclined to post a contrary view. He made his post in connection with the destruction caused by typhoon “Mario.” His post: “As usual, it’s we the people who need to mobilize to help our neighbors! Where is govt? Gallavanting in Europe!” Harry Roque was reacting on the wanton destruction and damage to crops and property triggered by Mario. But I find his post most offensive and unfair, particularly for the people, who have been working to make the swing on those countries a success. By the way, the President left before the typhoon struck the country. Coming from a lawyer, who has pretensions of working for the poor, it was in poor taste. A netizen reacted violently on his post, and called him a “fool” and “irresponsible lawyer” in Tagalog. I do not want to curse him; I prefer to post my contrary views on the matter. For a lawyer of his stature and for one, who keeps on claiming he loves humanity, Harry Roque did the unthinkable as his post appears devoid of any meaning. Lest some people take him seriously, I am posting an essay about state visits. You will be the judge. By the way, I have personal knowledge of the nature of state visits because I covered President Cory Aquino’s state visit to Japan. After that experience, I told myself I would not want to do it again. ANATOMY OF STATE VISIT Ask any seasoned journalist about state visits and he would reply: “Naku, pinakamahirap iyan.” The aversion of most journalists to do coverage of any state visit stems from the sordid reality that any presidential visit of any country entails enormous job – legwork and writing stories towards the end of every episode of a state visit. It is extremely laborious. A journalist has to be in tiptop physical and mental state to cover successfully any state visit. In brief, a state visit is no picnic, or walk in the park. It is all work. It hardly has any time for fun. A journalist can only have fun after the state visit, but not – or never - before or during. In some instances, journalists stay at the last stop to have hours or days of relaxation after the hectic coverage. This is because every state visit has many grueling phases and episodes. The meetings among heads of states and governments, the one-on-one talks and handshakes, those signing ceremonies of treaties , agreements, and pacts, the ensuing state banquets, those speeches, and of, course, press conferences are all intended to strengthen and solidify bilateral relations among nations and make the world peaceful and worth living. That’s why it was very surprising that Harry Roque, the so-called “manananggol ng mga api at sawi,” would descend to become heckler, ranter, or basher of the lowest kind. To say that the President his people were “gallivanting” in Europe was not only unfair; it was downright stupid on his part. It is a reflection of the level of his idiocy. For sure, the President did not go to Europe for some backpacking mission the way Harry Roque projected that misimpression. He did not criss-cross Europe, using the Eurorail as what backpackers do. It was all work for the President, as he met and talked with the heads of state and government of Belgium, France, and Germany. For the information of Atty. Harry Roque, the President was drumming up support from Europe concerning our situation with China on the latter’s reported intrusion of our territory and exclusive economic zone in West Philippine Sea. Every state visit has the usual political, social, economic, and diplomatic dimensions. They are usually negotiated through diplomatic channels. Hence, the Department of Foreign Affairs plays a big role in those negotiations. The issues could involve bilateral relations like the presence of overseas Filipino workers in a foreign country, or multifaceted multilateral issues like generating support for our position on the West Philippine Sea claims. That why every state visit has a frenetic pace. Every single important detail is included in every visiting president’s itinerary. It is the single chance to enhance bilateral and multilateral relations among nations. It has to be successful so that the visiting president has something to report to his constituents. It is not easy for heads of state and government to come into terms for a state visit. Heads of state and government of the countries to be visited by another head of state and government agree for such state visits if they know that such visits would result in something concrete to improve bilateral relations between countries. That’s why the negotiations along diplomatic channels entail patience and enormous work. State visits must be for the mutual benefit of the involved countries. I saw this kind of frenetic pace, when I covered the state visit of President Cory Aquino to Japan for the now defunct Philippine Tribune, one of more than a dozen newspapers that had mushroomed after the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution that toppled the Marcos dictatorship. I was one of the journalists in her press party. At first, I was excited to go to Japan, believing that I would finally set foot at the much hyped “land of the rising sun.” It was an honor to cover the president. But when I started the grind, everything changed. All I did was to do the legwork, follow the president in her itinerary, work, and write. It was because President Cory worked so hard to restore the bilateral relations between Japan and the Philippines, which was badly damaged by the Marcos dictatorship. I was told that succeeding state visits – FVR and GMA – similarly had the same frenetic pace. They were work, work, and work. This is to say that any president worth his salt would not find the luxury of time to gallivant in Europe – no matter how beautiful the countries that comprise it. Only fools would believe that the visiting President gallivanted in Europe. Or irresponsible people. Sept. 20 NANCYISMS Melanie Marquezs claim to fame is her set of quotable quotes, derisively called Melanisms. Sen. Nancy Binay is not the Sarah Palin of the Philippines for nothing. Some quotes: 1. “He (her father) had repeatedly told us that the surname Binay is the only legacy he can leave us.” (Now, she talks about the Binay legacy. Whew!) 2. “The Senate blue ribbon hearing is not a trial court. It’s not the proper venue.” (As a senator, she does not understand the phrase in aid of legislation.) 3. “It’s very unfortunate. As a child, I grew up seeing how the Vice President took pains to serve the people. And out of personal ambition, they’ll destroy the name that my father worked so hard to build.” (Come on, dont pull our legs.) 4. “Why deprive the people of choices? If that is passed, it’s automatic one candidate is disqualified from running. That trims down the choices of the electorate.’’ (Thats why she rejects the anti-political dynasty bill.) 5. “Alam naman nilang maitim na kami, e gusto pa nila kaming tustahin.” (They already know we are dark skinned and still they want to put us in the toaster.) (Who cares?) 6. I fear that the issue has been placed on the backburner, now that the alleged mastermind of the pork barrel racket who is also involved in the Malampaya Fund scam, has been placed behind bars. This should not make us complacent, in fact, we should work harder to solve these cases now that we can summon Napoles to the hearings. (This is the way to shift the peoples attention away from the carpark issue.) 7. “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” (Thats why the car park is world-class.) 8. “Siguro ganoon din yun sa building, ‘di ba? Para sa kanila, hindi ganoon kagandahan pero sa amin maganda na yan. Lalo na kapag nakapag-ikot ka buong sa Pilipinas. I don’t think may makikita kayong ibang LGU building na ganoon ang itsura.” (Ano daw?) 9. “Lalong pinapatagal lang ng COA ang boksing -- delayed telecast na nga, puro pa patalastas (COA is delaying the fight -- more than delayed telecast are lots of advertisements). It would be prudent for COA to immediately release their findings, including other NGOs who took part in the PDAF and Malampaya deals,” (Naintindihan ba ninyo?) 10. Favorite ko yung Princess Fiona (meme). (During the President SONA, she looked like a character in the film “Shrek” in her classic green and yellow dress.) (to be continued, when Im in the mood to collate some more quotes.) Sept. 14 SCENARIOS ON BINAY CONTROVERSY What are the scenarios on the controversy confronting Vice President Jejomar Binay? Will the issue of alleged overpricing of the Makati City parking building adversely affect his presidential aspiration and his political plans to seek the country’s highest political office? In brief, what will be the end game? FIRST SCENARIO: The plunder charges lodged by his political enemies before the Office of the Ombudsman prosper, prompting Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales to elevate them to the Sandiganbayan. Since plunder is a nonbailable offense, the Vice President may go straight to jail and join his political allies – Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and Bong Revilla. Impeachment is out of the political equation because the alleged controversy happened before his election as Vice President. Besides, Congress is in no mood to undergo another impeachment, which is a bloody process in its reackoning. If his lawyers are exceptionally adroit to ask the anti-graft court to grant him bail, the Vice President could enjoy freedom until his term of office ends in 2016. But with or without bail, the Vice President is seen to undergo the usual legal grind. Those plunder charges will hound him the rest of his life. The Vice President has at least two options on his presidential run: He may run or may not run for president. It is most difficult to pursue the presidency when he goes to jail. No jailed candidate has dared to run for president in Philippine history. Should the plunder charges prosper, the Vice President is certain to emerge a damaged presidential timber. When he goes to jail, allies are not expected not to jump ship and join him in any political party or coalition he forms as his political vehicle. Funds are not expected to come and propel his political campaign. He will be a political orphan or even a political leper - before the voters’ prying eyes. No one in his right mind would touch him with a ten-foot pole. Should he decide to run, the Vice President, whether he goes to jail or not, will encounter enormous difficulties. He is certain to lose. He won’t have any fighting chance at all. If that scenario happens, the Vice president could just decide not to run and choose to negotiate with the incoming presidency to go slow on his plunder charges. This appears the best option. Either he runs or does not run at all does not appear palatable for his political taste buds. Any decision would leave a bad taste in his mouth. SECOND SCENARIO: The plunder charges do not prosper at all. The Office of the Ombudsman either sits on the plunder charges for whatever reasons it could present or dismiss the plunder charges for whatever reasons it could concoct. The 2016 elections proceed as expected with a myriad of presidential candidates presenting themselves as alternatives. This is the Vice President’s favored scenario. He will do everything to move heaven and earth to prevent the plunder charges from reaching the Sandiganbayan. But what he does not know is that President Benigno Aquino III is prepared for this scenario. This is the scenario, where he would seek a constitutional amendment and run against Binay. If this scenario ever happens, the Vice President is expected to pursue his presidential run. He is expected to bring to the people the issues his enemies have raised against him to get a positive response. But in a one on one fight with the President, Binay is certain to lose. He does not have a ghost of a chance of winning. It is most difficult to face an opponent, who is in power. His antagonists in the Senate have been pushing for the conclusion on the probe on the alleged overpricing of the parking building. The controversy has become a political issue to be brought before the people for discernment and even decision in the 2016 presidential elections. The issue is something that has to be decided by the court of public opinion. In short, it is a public opinion issue. How the people would react is bear watching. But at the rate the issue has been moving, the Vice President is getting damaged by all those accusations that he had pocketed hundreds of millions or even billions of pesos from the construction of the controversial parking building. It is not easy for the country’s second highest political leader to escape it unscathed. The four years of the Aquino administration has elevated the bar of public expectations for every aspiring presidential candidate. Integrity has become the main qualification. Presidential candidates, who have integrity issues, are almost certain to lose in the next presidential polls. Binay is no exception. Sept. 14
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 16:44:45 +0000
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