Passage of anti-political dynasty bill not a priority for VP Binay   

The passage of the anti-political dynasty bill will not be a priority of Vice President Jejomar Binay should he win the presidential elections in May.

In an interview Tuesday with GMA News and dzBB anchor Mike Enriquez for the program "Ikaw Na Ba, the Presidential Interview," Binay said he will not certify the measure barring the establishment of political dynasties as urgent.

“Hindi ko ice-certify [‘yung anti-political dynasty bill] as urgent. Marami pang dapat i-certify. It’s a low priority. But it does not mean na pagbabawalan ko ang Kongreso. Puwedeng ipagpatuloy [ang pagpapasa ng batas]. It’s their job to legislate,” he said.

In the event both the Senate and House of Representatives pass an anti-political dynasty measure, Binay said he will “respect” the legislative’s decision and he will not veto it.

“Sa aking palagay, dapat i-respeto kung ano ang nagawa ng Kongreso. Basta’t ito ay pinayagan ng Kongreso, hindi ito dapat ma-veto. Dapat nating respetuhin ang proseso,” he said.

The Vice President said he does not believe in having an anti-political dynasty law because qualified candidates should not be barred from running for public office just because they are related to a political family.

“Bakit naman magkakaroon ng batas na magbabawal sa isang qualified na kandidato na gustong maglingkod sa bayan? Ang importante lahat ng maihahalal sa puwesto ay mahalala sa malinis at marangal na paraan,” he said.

Two of the Vice President’s children are currently elected officials: Senator Nancy Binay and Makati City Rep. Mar-len Abigail Binay.

A son, Jejomar Erwin, served as Makati City mayor from 2010 to 2015 until he was dismissed from government service by the Ombudsman over graft charges. — RSJ, GMA News