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?
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