I AM not a fan of Vice President Jejomar Binay but if elections are held today, I'm sure he will win the presidency. This despite the “barrage” of negative issues involving corruption thrown at him.
The classes C, D and E or the masa voters, which are Binay's strength, do not give importance to the issues leveled against him. For them, these are political issues. Besides, other politicians are equally guilty of corruption. Only intellectuals and the media talk about them.
Consider also the kind of voters we have. Most of them are not issue-oriented. They choose candidates who can buy their votes.
Former president and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada was like Binay when he ran for president in 1998. He was accused of being a gambler, drunkard and womanizer.
The Catholic Church opposed him. Yet he won against former House Speaker Jose de Venecia by a big margin.
Erap did not finish his six-year term because he was ousted by People Power. He was convicted of plunder and pardoned by his successor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
In 2010, he ran for president again. Without Noynoy Aquino, Erap would have been our president now. In 2013, he ran for mayor of Manila and won overwhelmingly against Alfredo Lim.
In those elections, the same issues were thrown at Erap. Does this mean Manila voters are dumb for electing a convicted plunderer? Or were the voters just carried away by the masa appeal and charisma of Erap?
In the case of Binay, allegations against him have yet to be proven. Surveys show him leading against his close rivals like Mar Roxas, the possible administration bet. While Binay’s rating dipped after the issues against him cropped up, Roxas's rating did not also go up.
Meanwhile, Sen. Grace Poe's rating rose and she is now considered a presidential timber. She also professionally handled the Senate inquiry into the Mamasapano, Maguindanao encounter.
There are now speculations Poe might be considered as the administration bet if she joins the Liberal Party. The speculation was bolstered when PNoy met Poe before the President left for a state visit in Canada recently. PNoy also said Poe can continue the reforms he started, especially his “matuwid na daan” program
Will Poe be PNoy’s anointed one? What about Roxas? Will he make another sacrifice like what he did in 2010 when he settled for the vice presidency? Roxas is an oligarch and he is hard to sell to the masa.
It's still one year before the elections and many things can still happen. Mar has launched a TV campaign advocating water accessibility especially in the remote areas, apparently to boost his ratings. The Aquino administration can also use government resources to help Mar.
But if Poe becomes the anointed one, will she be a good president considering her short experience in politics? That remains to be seen. The late Cory Aquino, PNoy's mother, did not have experience in politics but she was well loved by the Filipino people.
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I agree with former senator Ping Lacson when he challenged Vice President Jejomar Binay to open his bank accounts to prove he does not have billions of pesos in deposits. A report by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) revealed that Binay, his family and his “dummies” have more than 200 bank accounts with billions of pesos in deposits. Some of the deposits were withdrawn when Binay was investigated by the Senate.
But Binay said he has only five bank accounts. He threatened to sue AMLC for the malicious report and for breaking the rule on confidentiality.
But how can he deny a report from a credible body which, under the law, is authorized to look into questionable bank transactions? AMLC has the power to look into questionable banks deposits.
The Court of Appeals ordered the freezing of the accounts of Binay, his family and his “dummies” following the AMLC report. If this is true, then they may charge Binay for violating the Anti-Money Laundering law. Let's see if AMLC can prove it.
Or Binay can tell AMLC members that if they can find hidden bank deposits under his name the money will be theirs. Daghana kaha’g mosakay no?
(bobby.nalzaro@yahoo.com)