VP Binay tells businessmen: No pols in Cabinet if I win

Vice President Jejomar Binay said Thursday that there will be no politicians in his Cabinet should he win the presidency in the 2016 elections.

“Under a Binay administration, there will be no politicians in my cabinet,” Binay said during a speech at the Wallace Business Forum in Makati.

Binay himself was a member of President Benigno Aquino III's Cabinet as presidential adviser for OFW affairs, and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council before he resigned in June.

Binay said he intends to appoint only former Cabinet and senior government members.

“We shall make sure that all Cabinet officials are the best and brightest in their area of specialization, with vast experience in professional and public management," he said.

Binay said his official family will be guided by "competence, integrity, and decisiveness."

Strong partnership with business

Binay said it was a strong partnership between the local government of Makati and the business sector was what propelled the city to what it is now.

“Makati’s history is not about me, or the Binay family, but about the strong partnership between the local government and the business sector, including major developers,” Binay said.

The Binay family has been in power in Makati since the Vice President was appointed officer-in-charge of the city in 1986 by then President Corazon Aquino.

The Vice President’s son, Junjun Binay, is the incumbent mayor of Makati; although he was ordered suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman.

The Vice President's wife, Elenita, was also a former mayor. His daughters, Nancy, and Abi were elected as senator and congresswoman, respectively.

In his speech, Binay said the revenues generated from the business sector were used to fund the city’s operational expenses, salaries of employees, and local projects covering education, health, and social welfare.

He said the city government was able to collect additional revenues from the companies as the Makati grew into the country’s financial and central business district.

“Accordingly, Makati’s budget for social projects and programs also grew. Economic growth, therefore, became more inclusive,” Binay said.

‘Win-win’ situations

In the same forum, Binay also laid out what laws he will push for if he wins the 2016 presidency.

He vowed to have the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) as well as the right-of-way acquisition bills passed in Congress.

Both of these measures have been identified as priority measures of the Aquino administration but have yet to be enacted into laws.

“What can the business sector expect from a Binay presidency? I do not just plan or promise, I get things done,” he said.

Binay said he intends to convene the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), and the Judicial, Executive, Legislative Advisory and Consultative Council (JELAC) at least quarterly, as well as meet with the business sector to arrive at “win-win situations.”

He said the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), which has been declared unconstitutional, could have been prevented if Aquino consulted the Judiciary and legislative branches of government. -NB, GMA News