THE One Cebu party led by the influential Garcia and Rama families has opted to back the presidential bid of the only non-Bisaya-speaking candidate, Vice President Jejomar Binay, of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance.
Binay, who hails from Makati and the Ilocos region, bested the Visayan-speaking presidential candidates such as the Liberal Party’s Manuel Roxas II of Aklan, Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago of Iloilo and Grace Poe, who claims to have roots in Iloilo, and Mayor Rodrigo Duterte from Davao City.
Cebu Rep. Gwen Garcia said Binay was instrumental in bringing the bickering members of the Garcia clan to get united behind a single presidential candidate.
“We chose VP Binay even if he is not from the Visayas because he is the only candidate that has gone to almost all the municipalities in the province of Cebu. That cannot be said by the people who claim even to be Bisaya,” said Gwen’s brother Pablo John.
He made his statement even as Binay’s camp slammed the Office of the Ombudsman for asking congress for additional powers to open the bank accounts and wiretaps suspended Makati Vice Mayor Junjun Binay who is facing graft and corruption charges.
In a statement, Binay spokesman Rico Quicho accused the Ombudsman of being “the enforcer of the Liberal Party,” citing Morales’ statement that her office would file an information against Junjun Binay this week.
“No one has accused the Ombudsman of being the spokesperson for the Liberal Party. The enforcer of the Liberal Party, yes, but not the spokesperson,” Quicho said.
Pablo John, a former congressman who ran but lost the gubernatorial race in 2013, said the Cebuanos were unperturbed by the allegations of corruption against Binay.
Though unproven and politically motivated, Pablo John said, the charges against Binay paled in comparison to the corruption committed by the present administration in such cases as the illegal Disbursement Acceleration Program, the anomalous Metro Rail Transit contracts and the Conditional Cash Transfer program.
Another brother, Winston Garcia, a former chairman of the Government Service Insurance System, said this was the first time that the Garcia family was “in sync” in whom to support.
“When we all met we all knew that we would only have one candidate, and that candidate is VP Binay,” Winston told reporters during a news conference Tuesday at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City.
Said Gwen: “I think this speaks a lot about how the Garcias think and decide, and I think this speaks a lot for the future. The one Garcia family is for VP Binay.”
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said the alliance among One Cebu, Partido Panaghiusa, Team Rama and UNA was forged under the principle of unity.
“They [political opponents] are always claiming that Cebu is theirs. That was before. We will stand and give our vote to VP Binay for President,” Rama said.
Binay said he was grateful for the trust accorded him by the Cebuanos.
Binay’s running mate, Senator Gregorio Honasan, said Binay was perceived to be the candidate that could unite the country.
“This is not about Cebu. This is about the country that President Binay will lead. Cebu is not Binay country. The Philippines is Binay country,” Honasan said.
“That’s why this union of One Cebu and UNA is just an example of political unity that should be followed all over the country.”