Addressing the public for the first time since quitting the Cabinet two days ago, Vice President Jejomar Binay slammed the Aquino administration yesterday for being inept and insensitive to the needs of the people, and of employing selective justice in persecuting him and his family. He said the straight path or daang matuwid is a sham, as he dared his political foes to face him in fair elections in 2016.

“They know that many of their candidates will not win in a clean and fair election. That’s why they’re resorting to dirty tactics, to the point  of shamelessly spewing lies, misusing public funds and continuing to violate the law,” Binay told the press at the Coconut Palace in Pasay City.

Binay’s family led by his wife Elenita as well as dozens of political allies and supporters attended the afternoon press conference. After delivering his speech, which lasted for about eight minutes, the Vice President left the room and did not take questions from the media.

“To my political opponents, I am telling you now, if your intention is to stop me from running for president in 2016, you are mistaken. I never retreat from a fight,” he stressed, drawing applause.

The Vice President resigned as chief of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and as presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers’ concerns. He said the Aquino administration is obsessed with enforcing “twisted justice” against its political opponents while ignoring corruption in its ranks and neglecting the welfare of Filipinos.

“I’ve been through a lot of challenges. I was imprisoned several times during martial law because I fought for freedom and democracy. Even after the 1986 EDSA revolution, I was harassed and there were attempts to silence me because I constantly fought oppression and abuse,” Binay said in his speech delivered in Filipino.

“Now, under the present administration, they ganged up on me, to destroy me, insult me, harass me, remove me from my office and even imprison me. This is because I’m the main hindrance to their personal ambition and agenda,” he said.

The Vice President said he aspires for a government that “would let justice and  peace reign” and one that would fervently strive to help the needy, in contrast to the “inept and insensitive” administration of President Aquino.

“A government that would provide effective and broad health and education services, a government that is humane, not callous, and has genuine empathy to people,” he said.
Binay, who heads the opposition United Nationalist Alliance, is the only one so far who has declared his intention to seek the presidency in 2016. (H. Flores, PS)