The great debate: Binay versus Trillanes
Some people say that Vice President Jejomar C Binay has nothing to gain and everything to lose in having a debate with Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. Someone said that this is roughly equivalent to an ageing Mohammad Ali accepting a 12-round boxing bout with Nonito Donaire or even Onyok Velasco. The younger protagonist will most probably play an offensive game, while the older adversary will have to fight a defensive one. The ''champion'' will fight a conventional warfare while the challenger will ambush and attack then run like a guerilla fighter. In any case, many believe, Binay will come out wounded and battered, while Trillanes will gain more mileage in hurting an old political warrior in his last hurrah.
Well, contrary to the opinion of many, this column believes that Vice President Binay will have many things to gain in this debate and only a few points to lose. First, the forum will be more neutral as compared to the Senate where the Senator could move to have Binay declared in contempt. Second, Senator Trillanes will not have the distinct advantage of hiding behind the cloak of parliamentary immunity. He can be charged for libel or oral defamation and may be sued for actual, moral and exemplary damages if, by his words and actions during the debate, he causes damages on the Vice President. Third, Binay will have free advertisement via national television, without having to pay for those very expensive moments of fame.
Fourth, the Vice President is a lawyer while the Senator is a soldier. A debate is any lawyer's cup of tea, while to a soldier, debating is not exactly his battlefield. Therefore, VP Binay has the singular advantage of having superior knowledge and much better skills in verbal combat. Fifth, the Vice President is cooler, more composed and calm. The Senator, on the other hand, is restless, impulsive and is bound to commit some tactical and even strategic error along the way. Sixth, most of those who will watch the televised debate will be those coming from the '' masa'', which is Binay's turf. And seventh, Trillanes will not be backed up by Senators Koko Pimentel and TJ Guingona. He will be fighting alone. There will be no back-up like Senators Cayetano and Defensor-Santiago.
Knowing all these, the Team Binay is very happy when Trillanes accepted the challenge hurled by Binay. This debate will probably turn out as Trillanes' Waterloo. The Vice President can hit him hard, especially that allegedly, the Senator has also some supposed skeletons in his closets. This debate is going to highlight between a veteran human rights lawyer and street parliamentarian on the one hand, and an elitist PMA graduate with no track record of solid public service performance, on the other hand. This is a fight between a man who defended the government of President Cory Aquino a number of times against the many coups, on one hand, and a leader of a failed coup, on the other hand. The people are not stupid. They know many things.
Trillanes has nothing new to raise against Binay. All the so-called corrupt practices hurled against the Vice President have been raised and the people are sick and tired with the same innuendoes. On the other hand, Trillanes does not know what hidden ''bullets'' the Vice President will bring when he shall mount the debate podium. And so, based on all the foregoing, we believe and so hold that Binay will be debating from a position of strength, while Trillanes will find himself debating from a position of weakness. The greatest surprise in the November 10 debate will be when the Vice President will be on the offensive and Trillanes will come out on the defensive. This is a matter of strategy and tactic, where an old veteran will command a very clear advantage. Mark my word, someone will bite the dust. This debate will finally define who is telling the truth.
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