Team DailyPedia
The 2016 election season may be the most divisive one in recent memory with supporters going as far as issuing death threats to opposing parties. The candidates themselves weren’t above attacking their opponents, take the case of presidential aspirant Jejomar Binay.
During the campaign period, VP Binay made statements implying that he will send controversial tough-talking Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to jail should he become President. But now that Duterte has emerged as presumptive president, will VP Binay meet the fate he once planned for the Davao mayor?
Duterte said on May 15 (Sunday) that he does not intend to run after the Vice President who has been facing graft charges incurred during his tenure as the Mayor of Makati City.
“The vice president called up, greeted me and said congratulations. And I said ‘Thank you.’ I then mentioned that he had not problems with me. I am not the only one who enforces the law. I will not go around finding faults. I would rather spend my time looking for solutions,” Presumptive President Duterte said.
While Duterte may not be planning to go after Binay, his political party might have a different take on it. In the April 13 (Wednesday) statement made by the President of PDP-Laban (politial party of Mayor Duterte) Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, Vice President Binay will be the first to be sent to jail for corruption charges during Duterte’s administration.
“Binay would in all likelihood be the first big fish to be sent to jail with the preponderance of evidence of corruption against him during his stint as Makati mayor for more than 20 years,” Senator Pimentel said.
“The platform of [government] presented to the people by Mayor Duterte and his running mate, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, guarantees equality under the law. That does not mean the rich and the powerful can get away with murder and mischief and steal from the public coffers with impunity,” he added.
“Binay can very well afford to get the best lawyers to defend himself against charges of plunder filed by the Office of the Ombudsman after the May elections, when he will not only be jobless, but quite possibly also facing trial for a capital crime,” the PDP-Laban President said.
