Ex-Binay spokesman defects to Duterte

MANILA, Philippines - United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) presidential candidate Jejomar Binay was not informed by Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla about his plans to defect to presidential race frontrunner Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

UNA president Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco said Remulla neither gave any indication that he was parting ways with the Vice President nor asked for Binay’s permission to leave the party.

Remulla served as Binay’s spokesman for political affairs until 2014 and is the governor of Cavite, a vote-rich province with 1.8 million registered voters.

“There were rumors last week, but we didn’t think it was true,” Tiangco told The STAR.

When asked to comment, Binay simply said, “Hindi ko alam eh, saan ba nagpunta? (I don’t know, where did he go?) There’s no reason yet (for us to part ways). We haven’t talked yet.”

Binay believes that the alliance between UNA and Remulla’s Partido Magdalo remains intact.

When pressed to elaborate, he said “you gain some, you lose some, you gain some more after you lose.”

Duterte, after a closed-door meeting with the governor and his brother Jesus Crispin Remulla in Pasay City yesterday, declared that they have forged an alliance to support each other “now and after the elections.”

He refused to comment when asked if the Remulla family has abandoned Binay, but said he made no promises or assured them of any post should he win the presidency.

Rumors about the governor dumping Binay surfaced last week following a statement made by Jesus Crispin, who is running for governor, that his brother “wants his peace... before the campaign takes its toll on him.”

A source who attended the closed-door meeting said the Remullas assured Duterte of their support.

The Remulla family is the second political family from a vote-rich province to shift its support from Binay to Duterte. Last month, the Garcia clan-led One Cebu Party also bolted UNA to support the Davao mayor.  – With Robertzon Ramirez