'Offer to Binay meant to unify opposition'

MANILA, Philippines - Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III clarified yesterday that he offered the interior and local government post to Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay a few months ago in an effort to unify the opposition and not because he was supporting his vice presidential bid.

Binay, who is running with former President Joseph Estrada under the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, claimed in a television program that Aquino asked him to be the secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) if they would both win in the coming elections.

Aquino said the offer “no longer stands” because “I am no longer confident that the good mayor and I share a common vision.”

“I want to make clear that my candidate and my one and only partner in this fight is (Sen. Manuel) Mar (Roxas II) because I am sure he will continue our plans,” he said.

Aquino admitted that he discussed with Binay the possibility of giving him the DILG portfolio, but subsequent events have caused him to revisit this position.

He said no further discussions have been held since that first one several months ago.

Aquino said that even his sisters had made it clear to all their supporters that they were supporting only Roxas for vice president.

Roxas, for his part, said that efforts to sow division between him and Aquino would probably not stop until election day to weaken their chances.

“In our culture, nobody likes the third party. The Noynoy-Mar partnership is secure, strong and solid and people try to break that, they try to make issues between Noynoy and I. I respect everybody’s right to endorse whosoever that they may want. But for me, I don’t have a B. Wala akong baho, wala akong bisyo, so okay lang sa akin ‘yan (I don’t have dirt, vices, so that’s okay with me),” Roxas said, referring to Sen. Francis Escudero’s endorsement of Binay.

He said he has nothing personal against Escudero.

“He’s not even my opponent now. He’s not in the race. I don’t know what he’s doing. Nobody else knows also what will happen six years from now. Right now, we’re focused on the campaign,” he said, when asked if Escudero’s endorsement of Binay was meant to derail his candidacy because both of them would likely run for president in 2016.