VP Binay: Anonymous raps being readied vs. me over ‘old issues’

Vice President Jejomar Binay claimed Wednesday that anonymous complaints are being readied against him over “old issues” as part of a “vilification campaign” supposedly connected to his presidential bid in 2016.

Citing “highly credible information,” Binay said certain “operators” are digging up issues raised against programs he implemented during his stint as Makati mayor. He said these “issues” will be used to file complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman.

“By raising these issues, the operators are merely exposing their desperation. They are resurrecting old issues raised by my political opponents in Makati every election season. These recycled issues have remained unproven and unsubstantiated by evidence,” Binay said in a statement.

Binay, who was Makati mayor from 1986 to 1998, added that “the operators intend to leak copies of these anonymous complaints to media.” He also claimed that other members of his family will be implicated in these complaints.

As early as 2011, Binay already made public his intention to run as president in 2016, saying it has been his dream ever since he entered politics.

Binay's family recently came under fire after the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported last month that his son, Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, ordered the arrest of three security guards of the posh village last November 30 after they supposedly prevented his convoy from passing through a restricted gate.

'Political circus'

Binay, meanwhile, dismissed the decision of the Ombudsman's Office of the Special Prosecutor to supposedly revive a case involving his wife, Elenita, as part of an effort to “tarnish [his] family's name.”

“The complaint was filed 10 years ago. It was dismissed by the Ombudsman more than two years ago. But the Special Prosecutor decided to reinstate my wife without even informing her. These are glaring acts of abuse of authority and violation of her rights,” the vice president said.

Binay's wife, who was Makati mayor from 1998 to 2001, was implicated in the alleged purchase of overpriced hospital beds for the Ospital ng Makati during her incumbency.

In a separate statement, Senator Nancy Binay, the vice president's daughter, also appealed to their family's critics to spare her mom from the “political circus.”

“Huwag naman sanang gamitin ang mother ko para pilayin ang pamilya namin,” she said. — Andreo Calonzo/KBK, GMA News