Will Binay’s anti-Aquino stance work?

Finally, it has dawned on Vice President Jejomar Binay that he can never be “The One,” as far as President Aquino is concerned. He was just deluding himself thinking the President would eventually choose him over Interior Secretary Mar Roxas due to his close ties with the Aquino family.

This wishful thinking was also, perhaps, predicated on his consistently high ratings in the presidential surveys. But shortly after the results of the latest Pulse Asia and SWS polls were made public showing that he had been overtaken by Sen. Grace Poe, Binay was jolted out of his fantasy.

With alarm bells ringing and his camp in panic mode, Binay has taken off not just his gloves, but also his mask, so to speak. In a press conference last week, he came out swinging wildly and hurling accusations against the government, conveniently glossing over the fact that he had been an integral part of the administration for five years.

The Filipino people do not look too kindly on self-seekers who bite the hand that feeds them. In fact, one of the most hurtful things that could be said of somebody is “wala siyang utang na loob,” which means he does not recognize a debt of gratitude.

Binay was plucked out of obscurity by former President Cory Aquino to be the OIC of Makati back in 1986. Many believe he has been in power far too long. Could he have overstayed in a position of power and acquired the worrisome habits of a traditional politician? The Jojo Binay of today is quite a departure from the human-rights lawyer who fought for freedom and democracy under the Marcos regime.

How did it come to this? Fast-forward to 2015 and we see Binay now heaping scorn on the son of President Cory, his political benefactor. Was he hoping that history would repeat itself and that he would once again get the endorsement of an Aquino?

Binay has a shared responsibility for the present state of the nation because he was given not just one, but two substantial government portfolios that he had leveraged to the hilt to go around the country and campaign for president from day one of the Aquino administration.

If he were really sincere in helping lift this country from poverty, why did he not share his views on how to improve public governance, so that the poorest of the poor with whom he professes to have an affinity could also feel the benefits of the so-called rising economy?

As VP and a member of the Cabinet, did he not sit  at the same table with the other officials and did he not have first-hand information of the government policies that were being crafted? Through it all, he remained silent, as if in tacit agreement with the administration.

By expressing his divergent opinions only now when it is no longer convenient for him to be a member of the administration, is Binay showing us that his paramount interest is not that of the country?

The VP is obviously under a lot of pressure to halt his skidding poll numbers, and has now taken to throwing mud at the administration’s campaign versus graft and corruption. He slammed the Aquino administration’s anti-corruption campaign as reeking of “selective justice.”

Political analysts say, however, that it is imperative for Binay to answer the charges against him in a convincing manner. It is not enough that he says these are all part of a “demolition job” against him. The people have the right to know the truth regarding the alleged anomalies that occurred in Makati City under the watch of the Binay family.

Binay’s resignation as a member of the Cabinet is just the latest development in the unfolding drama leading up to the presidential elections in 2016. Will this newly acquired anti-Aquino stance prove effective? Let’s just wait and see as the saga continues.