So, my former boss and good friend Ferdie were drinking beer last night at Eton Centris when talk eventually came around to the supposed inevitability of a Binay Presidency.
One argument that is going around is that all candidates for the presidency are corrupt in one way or the other. That being the case, it is suggested that the only thing people ought to figure out is which among the “corrupt” presidential candidates can more effectively lead his administration to provide competent governance.
It is claimed that among the incipient candidates for president, it is Vice President Jejomar Binay who would have a track record for competent governance.
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Among the business columnists who seem openly supportive of a Binay Presidency is Boo Chanco and in the latter part of one of his columns, he relates how happy he is with the benefits that the Binays are providing its citizens.
The entire column basically spells out the following points, which I think are kind of sound…
— Big businesses are pragmatic when it comes to presidential candidates.
— The larger voter demographic (the lower C-D-E socio economic classes) only care about the ‘benefits’ they can derive and in the case of Makati, that voter demographic seems pampered with free hospitalization, free birthday cakes and movies for senior citizens, etcetera (as Mr. Chanco points out).
— The middle class, those whom Chanco says are opposed to a Binay presidency, don’t really enjoy or receive any of the benefits provided.
One thing that strikes me in Chanco’s column and kind of confirms my thinking about Binay is this:
Curious to know how Binay interacts with the Makati Business moguls, I googled and found a speech he delivered before the MBC last year. It is clear from this speech that he knows what the MBC types want to hear. Here are snippets from that speech:
“I distinctly recall meeting with a group of businessmen early in my term, where I made one simple promise: I will focus only on governance, and I will not meddle in business. I will work to provide the atmosphere for business to grow, but you must do your share in supporting the government, by among others, paying your taxes.
My thinking about Binay is that, basically, he’s the guy you get to take care of the “poor people” — because, if you boil it down, that’s what governance in a third world country like the Philippines is about.
If the Philippines were one big hacienda, he would probably be the hacienda boss — the guy that the landlord hires to haggle wages and benefits with the peasants as well as to keep them in check.
Supposing that this is in anyway an accurate figuring of what a Binay presidency boils down to, one question bears asking: Just how good is Binay as a hacienda boss anyway?
Writer.
They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
I have to agree with your friend. The big business are pragmatic while the poor are concerned of what benefits they will get.
As you said, binay has a track record and executive government experience to back it up. The closest thing you got as a competitor with executive experience is mar roxas, who has executive experience as secretaries for multiple presidents. The rest just don’t have the track record as an executive and competitive in getting votes in the national level.
You are also correct that the middle class doesnt get anything from a binay presidency or that’s how binay has marketed himself. But it’s a good strategy since majority of the votes won’t come from the middle class and Majority of the campaign funds won’t come from the middles class.
“The closest thing you got as a competitor with executive experience is mar roxas”
-Dick Gordon ring a bell? anyone?
But Roxas can’t even be compared to Gordon. Just take how each respond to Yolanda catastrophe.
Please read the whole paragraph to understand. When running for president, you need executive experience, competing in getting votes. Meaning your candidate appeals to voters. You also need machinery. The last 2 Gordon doesn’t have. His last presidential campaign was a failure. he didn’t even reach 1m votes nor 600k votes.
I have to agree with you though with regards to dick Gordon’s capability and experience. If you based it ONLY by experience and capability, then Gordon is more qualified than Mar Roxas. But we all know presidential elections are never about ONLY experience and capability.
I understand, but it doesn’t have to be like that.
Your comment makes it look like it’s a Roxas vs Binay election in 2016, further making it seem like the people has to choose the LESSER of 2 EVILS.
Binay is NO Robredo in terms of government executive performance. At best, he is an average government administrator given the resources at his disposal — since most corporate headquarters are in Makati, Binay gets a lion share of national corporate taxes. Nor is he a bastion of honesty and far from it. Since the filing of candidacies has not yet ended, I would refrain from even mentioning him as the best or even present an argument for him to be the president.
I agree orlando, it just happens that makati gets a lot of resources from businesses in the area. Not because of Binay. Even a monkey can take his position and still makati would still go on as usual with probably a lot less corruption and none of those sense of entitlement bullshit from the family members. And yeah, been in makati? the only good place was the CBD the outskirts are crap just like any other squatter infested city so what’s good again in him?
> The middle class, those whom Chanco says are opposed to a Binay presidency, don’t really enjoy or receive any of the benefits provided.
The closest that the middle class can get, assuming Binay will operate as you thought he will, are more work oppurtunities from businesses and ease to start small or medium enterprises.
You guys keep forgetting EDSA 1 and EDSA 2.
So, people wants everything to be free? The question here; where did Binay got the money to spend for these Freebees?
I don’t believe it came from his pocket. It is like Erap Estrada’s: free rice, “tuyo”, sardines, noodles, etc…It came from your tax money. Not, some sort of “Manna from heaven”…
Filipino voters are naive and gullible…
Are we all hopeless to find a good leader?
kung gusto Nyong I benta ang kaluluwa Nyo (Kung may kaluluwa pa kayo ) sa demonyo! Sumige kayo ! Wag Nyo naman sana idamay pati kinabukasan ng mga anak at apo Nyo ! Wag tayo mag gaguhAn. Alam Nyong corrupt at. At magnanakaw si binay!
A person is still innocent until proven guilty. We all say that Binay is corrupt by just hearing to persons/senators who have selfish motives in 2016. It seems that all they say are true where most of these statements have been fabricated. Let us think a million times before we believe on these politicians who have hidden motives. All the records of Binay in my own understanding are within the bounds of law but why do senators keep insisting that they are not. I am not for Binay but I don’t like senators who are not doing what they had to do let other government agencies do the investigations.
Whoever wins, the people would still lose since that country is fucked up already. Government’s a total joke and people vote for “leaders” with no real political experience. I’m surprised this country is still surviving.
Filipinos deserve who they vote for due to their negligence and immaturity. Now all they do is nag about their country’s status and put the blame on others instead of themselves. Why they voted for a retard last elections is beyond me.
@ Paul Farol, why don’t you run for President? You’d not be stuck having to pay back favors and the people will automatically like you.Your just as well spoken as Binay, probably more so even. YOU COULD DO IT IF YOU GET STARTED NOW !!!
“basically, he’s the guy you get to take care of the “poor people” <– Really? Did he create thousands of jobs for poor people that I don't know about?