How Do You Solve a Problem Like Jejomar Binay

Initially, he was the voters’ delight.  He led so many surveys until corruption issues started to unravel involving him and his entire family.  Millions of Filipinos were astounded with the magnitude of the supposed stolen money.  Along with corruption, a huge number of Filipinos were turned off with the Binays' attitude acting as if they are above the law.  Their chutzpah will put to shame the way Imelda Marcos flaunted her jewels and shoes to the public.  Going near the homestretch towards the election day, it seems that Jejomar Binay has become a PR nightmare. 

His ranking has slide down from the leader board going under the boardwalk.  One can surmise that his “paawa” campaign is no longer working; therefore, needs to be altered for him to hold on to his remaining supporters if all is not yet lost.  But, how do you solve a problem like Binay?

Problems Besetting Binay

On top of the list is of course the alleged money he earned from kickbacks and other forms of corruption.  For those who are familiar with his political career, you can say that his involvement with corruption is quite an irony considering that he was one of the political stalwarts demanding Marcos' resignation.  He is one of those yellow armies who fought against the Marcoses and sadly, Binay and his family are also involved with some of the issues raised against the former dictator and his family; corruption and political dynasty.

Frozen Assets

Another headache for Binay is course financial resources, while he may have some money stashed; however, it is quite different when you have full control of your money instead of wishing that freezing order on his assets be lifted. Everyone knows that during election exercise, money is not the root of evil but the source of winning margins.  Thus, many have observed that at present, there seems to be lesser noise coming from his camp.

Duterte and Poe are Gaining Supporters

Bigger headache for him is that Rodrigo Duterte and Grace Poe are gaining supporters.  Binay has a problem overcoming corruption issues and both Poe and Duterte do not have corruption issues but only integrity issues.  It is easier to tackle issues as hazy as character and personality concerns than stealing from the government as there will always be concrete evidences to surface later on (remember Clarissa Ocampo)?  Even Mar Roxas has better track image when it comes to corruption than Binay.

Survey Ranking

As days go by, more and more people are convinced that Binay is part of the problem; therefore, must not be elected.  As of the March 2016 survey, Duterte has already overtaken Binay, and the latest mobile survey conducted by SWS had Binay and Roxas as the “least liked” to win the presidency.  In other words, this survey proved that he is no longer darling of the masses or voters and is an indication that some of his supporters may have already made the big switch. 

Unloading The Excess Baggage

The problem with Binay is that he was supposed to get rid of the monkey off his back but instead, he choose to dilly dally, resolve, and clear his name against the issues lodged on him.  Had he faced the issues head on and won the war against him that would put to rest all the allegations and Pinoys would have been looking forward on campaign promises instead of being critical with his political propaganda.  Look at Poe, she submitted herself to rule of law. Despite some cloudy resolution, she won and her citizenship as well as residency issues were laid to rest. She was able to gather her composure and presented herself confidently during the two presidential debates.

 

Pray that Other Candidates Fumble

At this point in time, the only way for Binay to win is to pray that his opponents will falter before the finish line.  Pray that evidences of direct involvement of Mayor Duterte with the murder and killing spree of DDS (Davao Death Squad) will surface.  And pray that Grace Poe will let out a slip of the tongue and admit that she is indeed an American citizen and bullshit the Filipinos. There is no doubt that with Poe and Duterte leading the pack, Pinoys are really bent on changing the political system by shutting out Binay.  Pinoys want corrupt government officials to be dealt with accordingly, that is the message if either beauty or the beast will win the election. 

Next Round

Perhaps the only way to deal with his candidacy is to wait for the final results and work from there.  He might want to run again in the 2022 national elections but before doing so, he should clear up his name, clean up his acts, and do more good things for the Filipinos instead.  Right now, he is just wasting time and his money on his campaign as the rage against corruption are still in the minds of Filipinos because of the failure of President Aquino to curb it, if not minimize. 

The Filipino voters are quite tricky.  There were some political figures who were corruption free but did not become president like Aquilino Pimentel whom Salvador Laurel predicted and even Ninoy Aquino who was looked upon as a would-be-future president of the Philippines during Marcos' time.  There was also Jovito Salonga but millions of voters ignored him.  The question is if Jejomar Binay loses the election, what does one make out of it?  Revenge of the Filipinos?  Is it a sign of political maturity?  Or just a case of Binay being too confident and chose to ignore corruption problems?    What if he wins?  Does it mean that the Philippines will be damned again?  Or will it be his chance to say “mea culpa” and share his loot to Filipinos?

The sad reality is that Binay’s corruption problem is not his problem but also the problem of  all Filipinos.  If he is part of the part problem, then all Filipinos are part of the problem too.  To solve Binay's problem is to solve individual problems of Filipinos on matters of corruption.  


Image credit (in order) - Balita.com, UNTVweb.com, GlobalBalita.com, EqualizerPost.com, Philippines.com