Go Bingo

Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan joined Vice President Jejomar “Jojo” Binay to file his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) as Binay’s running mate yesterday at Commission on Elections (Comelec).

This finally erased all doubts on whether Gringo Honasan has finally agreed to run for vice president. This was put in doubt when Gringo failed to attend the United Nationalist Alliance’s (UNA) Visayas wide-launching at the Cebu Coliseum.

Gringo, a two-term senator, has the backing of retired and active military officers. He comes from Sorsogon, giving that province four candidates for vice president.

Before filing their COCs, Binay and Honasan attended mass at San Agustin Church after which they walked to Comelec Intramuros, accompanied by 3,000 supporters and a brass band.

After filing the COCs, Vice President Binay received their leaders who joined the COC filing at the Coconut Palace.

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is expected to file his COC for president on Thursday, Oct. 15.

Former TESDA chief Augusto Syjuco declared that he is also running for president during a gathering at a restaurant in Quezon City on Sunday.

Surprise endorsement

The candidacy of Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for vice president received a big boost, with the attendance and endorsement of Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada and Senator Juan Ponce Enrile during his proclamation.

This was a surprise because Senator Enrile and Mayor Estrada were expected to support Senator Gringo Honasan. Erap had earlier ruled out support for Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero’s vice presidential candidacy.

If Duterte runs for president, there is a big question mark as to who his vice president will be. Will it be Cayetano or Marcos?

When Cayetano flew to Davao on Sept. 29 to declare his candidacy and to convince Duterte to run for president, the Davao City mayor commended Cayetano and made a statement that he will wipe out other vice presidential bets.

Last Sept. 30, Marcos also flew to Davao to consult with the popular mayor, Duterte gave his support to Marcos if he should decide to run for vice president.

Three decades ago his late father Ferdinand Marcos was ousted in a people power revolt on allegations of massive corruption and widespread rights violation. But Senator Marcos asked the Filipinos to judge him based on his 26 years of service in government as a provincial official and national lawmaker.

Despite his father’s alleged wrongdoings, the Marcoses hold significant political power in their hometown wherein his mother Imelda Marcos represents a district in Ilocos Norte while his sister Imee Marcos is a provincial governor. They are still well-loved by some Filipinos who look back fondly on the strong-armed rule of former President Marcos as evidently the younger Marcos won by a wide margin as senator in 2010.

Even if Bongbong’s sister, Imee, was surprised when he suddenly declared his candidacy as vice president because he denied running with Vice President Jejomar Binay, the lady governor believes this is a good opportunity for her brother to seek a higher post since he is the only Ilokano candidate running so there may be a chance that he can succeed.

 Marcos for Peace Movement (MPM), a group based in Honolulu, Hawaii, was saddened with Marcos’ decision because they were hoping that he would run for president. In fact, the group even organized a symposium to debate the issues against martial law. However, Ilokanos in Ilokos Norte and abroad started consolidating to deliver votes for Senator Marcos.

3-cornered race for mayor

The Manila mayoralty race is a three-cornered fight between Mayor Erap Estrada, former Mayor Alfredo Lim, and Congressman Amado Bagatsing.

Erap will team up with former 4th District Councilor Honey Lacuna-Pangan. Lim’s running mate is 1st District Congressman Benjamin “Atong” Asilo while third-termer Bagatsing’s will be 5th District Councilor Arnold “Ali” Atienza.

Recent surveys show a close fight between Erap and Lim. It looks like the Iglesia Ni Cristo’s support will determine the winner.

Junjun Binay can still file COC

Four legal luminaries, Former Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes, former University of the East (UE) law dean Amado Valdez, former University of the Philippines (UP) law dean Pacifico Agabin, and veteran election lawyer Romulo Macalintal all agreed that Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay can still file a Certificate of Candidacy (COC) as Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales’ decision of dismissal is not yet final. The Comelec cannot refuse Binay’s COC filing if he decides to file it this week.

The Ombudsman’s decision could not be enforced yet as the embattled Makati City mayor is still serving a six-month suspension over a separate case involving alleged irregularities in the construction of the Makati City Science High School (MCSHS), Brillantes said.

Brillantes further said that Binay could still file a motion for reconsideration with the Office of the Ombudsman. And if that fails, Mayor Binay can appeal to the Court of Appeals (CA) or the Supreme Court (SC) as the final arbiter of all justiciable issues.