Jejomar Binay: Unworthy to be President

Jejomar Binay has criticized P-Noy for being dictatorial like Ferdinand Marcos in the context of the impeachment of the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Renato Corona, whose appointment at the eleventh hour of then outgoing administration was highly questionable, by the former President, GMA, whose mandate was just as spurious (“Hello Garci”). The same Jejomar Binay declares, shortly after he quit his cushy cabinet post with P-Noy and launched his bid for presidency, that he will lift the term limits of elected officials, including the presidency—contrary to what is enshrined in the current Philippine Constitution to prevent a repeat of over-staying trapos like Marcos and, yes, . . . Binay.

Granted that no one to date has come close to the audacious plunder of the country by Marcos et al, FM’s reputation was squeaky-clean before he was elected President, compared to the foul sleazy aura of Binay today. As an aspiring head of state, FM had the semblance of worthiness. In fact, he was a brilliant star, who was destined to lead the country to unprecedented heights—so we thought. In contrast, at the outset of his presidential campaign, Binay has to claw himself out of a slimy dung-heap as he callously trumpets his so-called leadership towards a path of national destruction. For the life of me, I cannot imagine anyone or any family more undeserving to be the President or the First Family of the Philippines; that is, since ERAP.

Secret Disciple of Marcos

Once upon a time, Binay actually fought the Marcos Dictatorship.

The above statements of Binay could be quoted almost to the letter in reference to him and his family with respect to Makati City over the past thirty (30) years. To wit:

“ANG PAMILYA BINAY PO AY PURO CORRUPTION, OVERPRICED PO LAHAT NG INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS SA MAKATI, PINAPANGALAN AT INA-AWARD SA MGA CRONIES NILA.”

“FOR 30 YEARS, SILA ANG NAGHARI HARI SA MAKATI, PATI MGA ANAK PINAPUWESTO SA GOBYERNO. SOBRA NA, PALITAN NA!”

As if the foregoing is not enough to illustrate the accelerated evolution of Binay into a full-fledged trapo (i.e., well before he’s had the chance to gate crash into Malacañang), he is now attempting to weasel himself into the ill-gotten coffers of the man and family he once lambasted (or, most likely, secretly admired and wanted to emulate) by way of overtures to Bongbong as a potential vice-presidential running mate. A weasel and a traitor to the cause . . . what could be a lower form of creature? Hence, it was no surprise that even Bongbong’s initial reaction to Binay’s intimations was to immediately distance himself as a potential running-mate. After all, our gentrified Marcos-heir could not possibly be tied to the hip with such a stinking sack of shit.

Purveyor of Political Dynasties

In the meantime, Binay is sticking to his press release that there is nothing wrong with his entire family in public office in light of their collective desire to serve the people, which has evidently been a shameless front for a criminal family enterprise that aspires to spread its greedy and oppressive tentacles beyond Makati to the farthest reaches of the country. This in spite of Section 26 of Article II of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which states:

“The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.”

It’s bad enough the bicameral congress has wilfully disregarded this provision in the Constitution for nearly thirty (30) years to protect and perpetuate their respective political dynasties. It’s another matter altogether when an aspiring presidential candidate intends to lift term limits of elected officials (including the presidency) and, yes, eliminate the prohibition on political dynasties, so that the Presidential Dynasty and all other sub-political dynasties throughout the Philippines can continue their merry way of ransacking the country at the expense of every other disenfranchised Filipino. That is the promise of a Binay Presidency—read “Jejomar Binay is the Mutt to Beat”.

More political dynasties under a Binay Presidency with the Binay Family leading the pack!

Idiotic Foreign Policy

On the matter of foreign policy, Binay has the brilliant idea of engaging in bilateral negotiations with China with respect to our dispute in the West Philippine Sea—contrary to the current tack of the P-Noy Administration.

Let’s face it. China is the latest and greatest bully on the block, eager to flex its political and financial muscle in the global arena after decades of deprivation and humiliation under its communist regime. Notwithstanding its relatively recent economic prosperity, its leaders continue to wield power “out of a barrel of a gun”—read “The New Gwei Lo”.

The Philippine Armed Forces are no match for the military might of China; ergo, we have no military leverage over China; ergo, we have no negotiating leverage over China. Hence, the pending case of the Philippines against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA, The Hague, Netherlands) is our only iota of a chance to win a moral victory against China. No wonder China refuses to participate in the arbitration process and pounces on every opportunity to belittle the Philippines’ efforts to muster the support of the international community with respect to our dispute in the West Philippine Sea. Yet, Binay proposes to negotiate directly with the Bully, a disastrous approach tantamount to “giving away the farm” while our resources are pillaged, our daughters are raped and our sons are pummelled to a pulp. And he wants to be the President of the Philippines?

A Wager on the Sovereign Credit Rating

A noteworthy achievement of the P-Noy Administration is the upgrade of the sovereign credit rating of the Philippines to investment-grade (S&P BBB-, May 2013) for the first time in the economic history of the country, which was followed by another upgrade the following year (S&P BBB, May 2014)—that’s one notch above the minimum investment-grade rating of BBB-. It’s an astonishing feat considering the sovereign credit rating of the Philippines had been languishing below investment-grade (like junks bonds) since the country began receiving ratings in the early 1990s, debuting at BB- (S&P) in July 1993.

An investment-grade rating may be regarded as a “seal of good housekeeping” with respect to the government’s financial stability. In practical terms, an investment-grade opens the door to a wider and more diversified base of global financial investors, which is advantageous to the Philippine stock market. Moving-up the credit rating ladder means less default risk. For the government, this means greater access to global credit at a lower cost, which translates to lower cost of borrowing of local business enterprises and so forth and so on. That said, the Philippines still has a long way to go to achieve the highest AAA sovereign credit rating, which only a few countries currently enjoy (e.g., Australia, Canada, Germany, Singapore).

In any case, I wager that the sovereign credit rating of the Philippines will drop (and drop quickly) below investment-grade if Binay becomes President. His penchant for giving away freebies and concessions that aren’t his to squander (e.g., free birthday cakes, free movies, better pay and benefits to public school teachers, unlimited terms to elected officials, perpetual political dynasties, the West Philippine Sea on a silver platter to China, etc.) to distract his constituents while he plunders the lion’s share of the national coffers will most assuredly reflect on this one simple economic indicator, thereby undoing a genuinely substantial gain of the Philippine government.

Recently, Donald Trump has provided a great deal of entertainment in the race for the US presidency. I like his slogan, “Make America Great Again!” In contrast, all I can see, hear and read from Binay, whether he says it out loud or not, is “Sink the Philippines!” while he and his family (and cronies) sail into the sunset in a luxury cruise ship. Can we just not let Binay win the presidential elections in 2016 . . . PLEASE?