Cayetano courting House members for prexy bid - Binay kin

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano has been discreetly meeting with selected House members, including those representing non-aligned party-list groups, and aggressively courting them to support his presidential bid this early, a daughter of Vice President Jejomar Binay said.

 

 “We wish the senator could just promote himself through positive public relations -- by conveying to everybody all his accomplishments for the country. To be able to climb up, people do not have to put other people down,” House Deputy Majority Leader and Makati City Rep. Mar-Len Abigail Binay said.

 

The Makati legislator said Cayetano is picking a fight with the Vice President to gain media mileage and prop up his own presidential ambition, 

 

"By bullying the vice president and his family, Cayetano hopes to attract a lot of attention and generate loads of free publicity for himself. This is why he is targeting us,” Binay said.

 

"Senator Cayetano has been telling his staff that he wants to quadruple his voter support, and get at least 15 percent of the votes by around this time next year. Otherwise, he will supposedly drop out of the presidential race,” she added.

 

She said Cayetano is desperate in getting media exposure by attacking the Binays, which is, she said, "outright uncalled for."

 

Last week, Cayetano badgered Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr., the vice president’s son and the congresswoman’s younger brother, during a controversial Senate hearing on the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall car park building.

 

Shortly after the hearing, Cayetano challenged the vice president himself to face the Senate inquiry.

 

The latest Pulse Asia Inc. survey showed that if the presidential elections were held today, the vice president would be the runaway winner with 40 percent selecting him as their first choice.

 

Ranked second to sixth in the choices for president and their corresponding voter support are Sen. Grace Poe (15 percent); Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago (10 percent); Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero (9 percent); Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas (6 percent); and Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (5 percent).

 

Cayetano and presidential sister Kris Aquino (tied at 4 percent) occupied the seventh and eight slots.

 

Completing the top 10 preferences for president are Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. (3 percent) and Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery Panfilo “Ping” Lacson (2 percent).