4 in 5 Pinoys want Binay to face Senate probe – SWS poll

Vice President Jejomar Binay (Facebook photo)

MANILA, Philippines — The recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that nearly four out of five Filipinos want Vice President Jejomar Binay to appear before the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee inquiry regarding corruption allegations against him and his family.

The SWS poll was conducted from September 26 to 29 and asked, “Do you agree or disagree with the proposal of some senators that Vice President Jejomar Binay should appear in the Senate to answer all allegations against him?” The results of the survey were initially released by SWS partner Businessworld last Monday.

Of the 1,200 respondents surveyed, 79 percent agreed that Vice President Binay should face the Senate and respond to the accusations of corruption against him. The remaining 10 percent disagreed and 11 percent were undecided on the issue.

Pollster SWS noted that among the large majority who agreed that Binay should testify at the the Senate probe, 57 percent ‘strongly’ agreed and 22 percent ‘somewhat’ agreed.

Of those who agreed, 82 percent of the respondents were in Metro Manila, 80 percent in Mindanao, 79 percent in Balance Luzon and 73 percent in the Visayas.

In terms of socioeconomic categories, ‘strongly’ or ‘somewhat’ agreeing that Binay must face the Senate inquiries were 81 percent of respondents in class D, 80 percent of those in ABC and 72 percent of those in class E.

The poll had sampling error margins of ±3% for national and ±6% for area percentages.

Still won’t face Senate

The Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee has been looking into allegations that Binay and his family amassed kickbacks from overpriced projects in Makati.

Among the matters the subcommittee has investigated is the supposedly overpriced P2.5 billion Makati City Building Hall II where the Vice President supposedly benefitted from when he was still Makati mayor and his son, a city councilor.

Binay has denied all allegations and has also refused to appear before the Senate probe, believing that the Senate hearings ‘are not in aid of legislation but in furtherance of political persecution.’

“It would be futile for the Vice President to dignify such farcical proceedings and subject himself and his family to ridicule. There are other venues where the Vice President can address the baseless allegations and lies – venues where there is no other agenda except arriving at the truth. He is determined to bring the issues directly to the people, which he has been doing for the past weeks in visits to Mindanao, Zambales and Bataan,” Binay’s spokesperson on political concerns Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla said.

With report from Cyra Moraleda