“‹A women’s group in Makati City is supporting the candidacy of former mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay in the mayoralty race this coming midterm elections.
“With the potential entry of Junjun Binay in the mayoralty contest, we are ready to support and campaign for a mayor who always assured women in Makati that City Hall had their back,” said Marjorie Bindoy, a member of Makati Women’s Kalipi.
“Vice president Jojo Binay was instrumental in helping us put up Women’s Watch in 2000. When Mayor Junjun took over in 2010, he encouraged us and provided the support we needed so that our group could grow and help more women,” said Bindoy in Filipino.
Bindoy explained that Women’s Watch and Kalipi are volunteer women’s groups in Makati that assist battered women. Based in Makati’s barangays, these groups work with the Makati Social Welfare Department to facilitate legal assistance for victims of violence against women and their children under Republic Act 9262, or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004.
According to Bindoy, “our volunteers undergo seminars so they can better help women in our communities. Aside from helping women who have been attacked by their spouses, the group has also organized self-defense training for Makati residents.”
“In all of our programs, Mayor Junjun Binay always showed that he was ready to give us support, which is important because we are all volunteers, we do not get paid,” added Bindoy.
Em Macatangay, a volunteer who has lived in Makati since 1972, said she was happy when she learned that the former Makati Mayor was eyeing a comeback.
“I am happy that Mayor Junjun will run. He is kind, helpful, and easy to approach. He really takes after his father,” she said.
These sentiments were echoed by 32 year-old volunteer Jacq Gorospe, who grew up in Makati and was amazed at the similarities between father and son.
“The two are so very low-key. When I was a kid, I ran into VP in our barangay while he was jogging. I did not know he was the mayor, my parents were the ones who informed me. When I got older, I saw Mayor Junjun walking in our place, walking around in shorts and slippers. Same thing! I did not know he was Mayor Junjun!” an amused Gorospe recounted.
“The constant presence of Mayor Junjun Binay in our barangays, even on ordinary days when there were no special activities or occasions, is what sets him apart from the current mayor,” stressed Bindoy.”‹
