Binay, Escudero meet in Davao City

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Vice President Jejomar Binay and Sen. Francis Escudero ran into each other in the so-called largest city in the world.

Not only that, Binay and Escudero flew back to Manila on the same Philippine Airlines flight yesterday. 

The two political leaders had a luncheon meeting at a local restaurant here but without their respective running mates – Sen. Gringo Honasan, Binay’s vice presidential bet, and Escudero’s standard bearer Sen. Grace Poe. 

Poe and Honasan were nowhere near the venue yesterday.

Binay and Escudero reportedly still had the chance to chat while they were in the VIP lounge of the Davao International Airport while waiting for their plane. 

The meeting was reportedly some kind of  reconciliation between the two. In the 2010 elections, Escudero switched support from then Liberal Party vice presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II, Binay’s opponent in the vice presidential race.

The two politicians had lunch at the Filipino Comfort Food restaurant owned by the family of businessman Antonio Floirendo Jr.

The meeting was reportedly brokered by Floirendo, who has consistently been a supporter of both Binay and Escudero in their past political forays.

Floirendo, who is running unopposed as representative of the second congressional district of Davao del Norte, has been friends with both Binay and Escudero for the past several years. 

Binay arrived here on Saturday and proceeded to the capital town of Tagum City in Davao del Norte, where he stayed overnight and attended the national jamboree of the Boys Scouts of the Philippines and an assembly of the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity. 

Escudero, on the other hand, flew in yesterday and later took the 2:50 p.m. Philippine Airlines flight back to Manila yesterday afternoon. 

Binay was reportedly in the economy section while Escudero took business class in the same PAL flight. 

Several quarters are asking what would be the effect of the meeting between Binay and Escudero as the senator was considered to have been the biggest factor in Binay’s winning the vice presidency.

Binay was accompanied by a number of his senatorial candidates, including boxing legend Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquaio, when he addressed the BSP jamboree participants.