Palace tells Binay camp: Bring it on

The word war between Vice President Jejomar Binay and Palace officials continues, with presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda accusing the former Makati City mayor of dishing out lies – but daring him to “bring it on.”

Lacierda also categorically denied reports that officials identified with the Binay camp were being asked to file their courtesy resignation.

“No such call from the Palace. Had the VP diligently read the transcript of Usec. Abigail Valte and not merely relied on his minions to spin, he would not have arrived at his inaccurate conclusion,” Lacierda told reporters yesterday.

Valte on Saturday said Binay’s appointees should also resign from their posts to give his successor a free hand in running the agencies concerned.

Lacierda – who belongs to the Balay faction in the Cabinet headed by Interior and Local Government  Secretary Manuel Roxas II – said Binay was being inconsistent when he criticized the administration of bad governance while remaining silent for five years when he was still with the Cabinet.

“On bad governance, he was with us for almost five years, where were his proposed solutions as a Cabinet member?”

He noted Binay’s acknowledging the positive impact of the reforms initiated by President Aquino.

Quoting Binay, Lacierda said, “These reforms triggered renewed interest in the Philippines and a re-appraisal of our economic potential.”

“We therefore make our commitment to continue and, if needed, expand the reforms initiated by President Aquino beyond 2016,” Binay was quoted as saying.

“He continues to attack the President because he refuses to answer convincingly all allegations of corruption and ill-gotten wealth against him. We have yet to hear a response other than: pulitika lang iyan (it’s just politics),” Lacierda said.

“So we say to his camp in dishing out lies against the President: Bring it on,” he said.

Loyalty matters most

Over the weekend, Binay’s camp slammed Malacañang for reportedly calling for the resignation of government officials allied with the Vice President.

Joey Salgado, head of the Office of the Vice President’s media affairs, said that the Aquino administration continues “to put premium on political ties and loyalties rather than competence and professionalism.”

“Such a pronouncement from Palace spokesmen only underscores the Vice President’s call for governance that puts merit on performance, excellence and professionalism,” Salgado said.

Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice, a member of the ruling Liberal Party, has also reportedly called on Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund) president Darlene Marie Berberabe, National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. president Felixberto Bustos Jr., Home Guaranty Corp. president Manuel Sanchez, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) consultant Chito Borromeo and Home and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) chief executive officer Antonio Bernardo to leave their posts following Binay’s resignation.

Erice also said the United Nationalist Alliance, which Binay leads, would be in a confused situation if its leader continues to attack Aquino while Binay allies in the House of Representatives choose to stay with the majority coalition.

Best of both worlds

Erice also accused UNA of enjoying the best of both worlds, with its leader Binay attacking the administration and his House allies choosing to remain with the majority.

Erice said he “cannot see the logic” in Binay daughter Makati Rep. Abigail Binay and her UNA colleagues’ staying with the Liberal Party-led majority coalition in the House.

“The Vice President has been criticizing the administration and its policies and Rep. Binay and her group will not leave the pro-PNoy majority in the House? How is that? I cannot see the logic in their staying with the pro-administration coalition,” he said.

He said sense of propriety or delicadeza dictates that UNA should voluntarily leave the House majority.

“They should leave on their own volition because House leaders consider it impolite to tell them to leave,” Erice said in a radio interview.

He vowed to question the decision of Rep. Binay and her colleagues to remain with the majority when the House reconvenes on July 27.

Despite the resignation of her father from the Cabinet and his barrage of attacks against the administration, the congresswoman said they would stay with the LP-led coalition in the House unless told to leave.  Rep. Binay is part of the chamber’s leadership, being one of the deputies of Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II.

Also opting to remain with the majority is another UNA member, boxing champion and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, for whom the House recently created a special committee on the country’s preparations for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. He chairs the committee.