Ex-VP Binay won't rule out return to politics in 2022

Former Vice President Jejomar Binay is not closing his doors on mounting a political comeback in 2022, but not necessarily as a candidate.

“Kung physically and mentally fit pa,” Binay said in a CNN Philippines interview on Monday when asked if he is planning a political comeback next year.

Binay, however, said that a political comeback does not necessarily mean him running for an elective post again.

"'Yung sinabi kong physically and mentally fit, to be involved in politics, [being a] broker, magsasalita. Kapag physically and mentally fit, puwede ka magtaas ng kamay [ng kandidiato], iikot ka, sasabihin mo na ito ang kandidato mo," he said.

Binay was a longterm Makati City mayor before he was elected Vice President in 2010.

Binay was initially the frontrunner in the 2016 presidential race, but a two-year Senate investigation on alleged corruption during his tenure as Makati City mayor eventually made the dent on his bid. He ended up finishing at fourth place.

Binay ran again for a congressional seat in a Makati City district in 2019, but lost to ally-turned-foe, former Makati City mayor Kid Peña.

Binay remains a stalwart of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), a national party recognized by the Commission on Elections. —KBK, GMA News