Is Jejomar Binay your president? Make sure you already know everything you need to know about him before putting in that precious vote on the 9th of May.
Vice President Jejomar Binay could be one of the most qualified officials to run for president. Backed with rich educational training in law and public administration, earning a handful of masters, doctorates, and awards here and abroad, he was able to practice extensively in the fields of law and government. His first foray into the political landscape was his appointment as Makati City mayor in 1986 by then President Corazon Aquino, which jump-started his two-decade executive post in the city.
Even after his election as Vice President, much of the admiration accorded to Binay still stems from his accomplishments as Makati City’s mayor. In the years that he headed the city, it received several presidential, environmental, criminal response, and disaster prevention awards. In addition to the numerous health and geriatric incentives enjoyed by the city’s residents, his Yellow Card program, which offers free outpatient consultations and subsidized in-patient care at the Ospital ng Makati, was constantly recognized even outside the country.
As staunch as his supporters are his critics, however. The bulk of the charges he is facing consists of numerous corruption and plunder allegations, which started with a ghost employee issue in 2006. After the suspension order issued against the whole Makati City Council in 2006, Binay and his city faced allegation after allegation on overpriced purchases, bogus charity projects, and tax responsibilities amounting to P1.1 billion. Binay’s corruption battle reached its height in 2014, when he was charged for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for the construction of a multi-billion-peso Makati City parking building. It was during the investigations for this case that accusations of dummy accounts, more overpriced acquisitions and constructions, and undisclosed properties and businesses worth billions started to surface. After 25 hearings over 17 months, as of January 2016, the Blue Ribbon concluded its probe into the alleged anomalies involving Binay.
The incumbent Vice President has been very vocal about his underprivileged roots, orphaned at a young age and worked various jobs to complete his education. A tidbit about his name, Jejomar: it is a portmanteau of the names of the holy family, Jesus, Joseph, and Mary.
Read the profiles of the five presidentiables and the full Q&A with them inside Asian Dragon Magazine’s April-May 2016 issue, available in all leading bookstores and convenience stores nationwide. You can also purchase the issue from the Asian Dragon Magazine App, free to download on Google Play Store, iTunes, and Amazon. For orders and other inquiries, contact tel. nos. 361-7491 loc. 811, 845, 846.
