Erap to campaign for Binay-Poe in 2016

MANILA, Philippines - Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada will personally campaign for Vice President Jejomar Binay for president and Sen. Grace Poe for vice president should their tandem in the 2016 elections push through.

“That is the best tandem. I will be all out for them. I will personally campaign all over the country for Vice President Binay and Sen. Grace Poe…It will be undefeated,” Estrada said.

Estrada explained he cannot abandon Poe, daughter of his best friend, the late movie actor Fernando Poe Jr., because he has a debt of gratitude to FPJ.

“FPJ was with me when I was still a movie actor. He also personally campaigned for me when I decided to run for mayor of San Juan City, senator, vice president and president (and) I won (in all),” Estrada recounted.

He admitted that he felt sad not being able to campaign personally for FPJ when he ran for president in 2004.

“I could not campaign for FPJ because I was then in jail. I cannot really abandon Grace Poe because it is my only way to repay my debt of gratitude to FPJ,” Estrada explained.

But Poe, whose ratings surged in the latest Pulse Asia’s presidential survey by eight points to 18 percent, was reportedly being groomed to be the Liberal Party’s (LP) standard-bearer.

Binay earlier expressed determination to run for president even if it would mean facing his friend Poe as his opponent in the 2016 elections.

Estrada said there is no negotiation yet in the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) – a coalition of Estrada’s Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino and Binay’s Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban – which is now the official party of Binay for his possible tandem with Poe.

UNA interim president Toby Tiangco also warned Poe to be wary about certain people in the LP.

According to Tiangco, the LP faction led by Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and Senate President Franklin Drilon would do everything to stay in power beyond 2016.

“The leaders of LP want to remain untouchable in 2016 and beyond, because all these (accusations) constitute plunder,” he said, referring to allegations of corruption, including the $30-million extort try involving MRT officials, which happened during Roxas’ watch.

Tiangco also believes the filing of another plunder case against Binay is meant to embarrass the Vice President before Pope Francis, who is scheduled to visit the Philippines next month.

Tiangco said the filing of case by lawyer Renato Bondal against Binay before the Office of the Ombudsman using the traditional predawn mass as its stage last Tuesday shows the lack of respect for the Catholic-Christian tradition.

“We know that part of their plan is to disrupt the visit of His Holiness, the pope, and convert it into another forum for politics,” Tiangco said in a statement.

Tiangco said the latest case filed by Bondal is built upon a “conspiracy of lies” meant to demolish the integrity of Binay and his family, but the Vice President is prepared to answer the most recent charge against him before the ombudsman. – With Helen Flores