MANILA – Despite openly criticizing President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s administration, Vice President Jejomar “Jojo” Binay assured that he will attend the President’s last State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27.
Binay guaranteed that he will be present in Aquino’s last SONA, not at all bothered that his political enemies Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Antonio Trillanes IV, Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II and Caloocan Representative Edgar Erice will also be in the Congress.
“So what? Sabi ko nga, I suppose, tulad ng lahat ng dadalo, ay sumasagot sa lahat ng imbitasyon na sila ay dumalo at makinig sa Pangulo,” he told reporters.
(So what? Like I said, I suppose, like everyone who will be present, [they] will all be accepting invitations for them to attend and listen to the President.)
It can be recalled that Binay started slamming Aquino’s Cabinet after resigning as the chief of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and the presidential adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers Affairs.
Read: Binay resigns from Aquino Cabinet being the ‘odd man out’
Recently, the Vice President filed a P200-million damage suit against several of Aquino’s allies, which he referred to as his ‘detractors’ who defamed his good name and reputation as part of their black propaganda against him in next year’s presidential elections.
Read: VP Binay files damage suit against Trillanes, Cayetano, Morales
And just not done yet criticizing Aquino’s administration, Binay mentioned several unaddressed issues of the Philippines, including poverty, unemployment, lack of classrooms and teachers and the overall inefficiency of the national government in his latest speech. He also supposedly questioned the administration’s support towards Senator Grace Poe.
“Sabi po ng administrasyong ito, mahal nila ang mga Pilipino, pero ang sinususuportahan po nila ay isang taong minsan nang tumalikod sa ating bansa,” Binay said.
(This administration stated that they loved the Filipinos, but the person they are supporting [as a viable presidential candidate in the coming national elections] is a person who once turned her back to our country.)
Binay refused to give further details when asked if he alluded to Poe in his speech. However, it can be noted that the senator had a dual citizenship a few years back.
Growing up in the United States of America, Poe had an American citizenship which she later on denounced when she took a government position as the chairperson of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board prior becoming a lawmaker.
Read: Poe: I renounced US citizenship before taking gov’t position
Moreover, Poe had met with Aquino for three times already, reportedly discussing their political plans for next year’s national elections. Roxas, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero and several other top government officials joined them in their closed-door meetings.
Despite Binay’s claims, Aquino has yet to make his endorsement after his last SONA.