Binay rallies allies for polls

source: mb.com.ph

MANILA, Philippines — Like a general rallying his troops to war, Vice President Jejomar C. Binay on the eve of his 69th birthday last Thursday exhorted his partymates “to prepare for 2013 and 2016.”

The event was supposed to be the unveiling of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) coffee table book, but it looked more like the party’s opening salvo for the 2013 national midterm polls and ultimately the 2016 presidential polls.

Introduced as “the next President of the Republic of the Philippines,” Binay, the party chairman, basked in adulation of the crowd at the Golden Bay Restaurant in Pasay City while the official anthem of the president of the Philippines – “We Say Mabuhay” – played in the background.

Binay, who was in a playful mood, referred to his partymates as “the future members of the new government.”

“Those who clap the strongest are the ones I will remember the most when the time comes,” eh said in jest to the delight of the crowd, a mixture of PDP-Laban oldtimers and new members.

Turning serious, Binay who had earlier admitted his desire to run for president in 2016, vowed that PDP-Laban “will be giving a good fight in the coming political activities.”

He urged members to strengthen their “body and soul” for more victories coming their way.

“PDP-Laban has no way to go but up. No one can stop us. This is for real,” he said in Pilipino.

Binay lauded the confidence developed by party members now that they have a Vice President as well as a senator in Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III as members.

PDP-Laban’s membership, he said, continues to grow, and the old joke that the party’s leaders including him could fit into a vintage Volkswagen Beetle is no longer a laughing matter to other political parties.

“We are now a winning breed and we will have more victories in the future,” he said.

The coffee table book celebrates the 30th year of the merger of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino and the Lakas ng Bayan.

The party traces its roots to the assassination of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s father, Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr., which gave birth to the August 21 movement or ATOM.

The party also launched the “Bagong Ninoy Awards,” in its attempt “to memorialize the heroism of the murdered PDP Laban stalwart.”

source: mb.com.ph