The Philippine Online Chronicles

It's final, Jejomar "Jojo" Binay is the new vice president. Politi-ko! peeks into the life and political career of the man who will stand beside the 15th Philippine president, Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III.

Orphan turned politician

Born in Manila to parents Diego Medrano Binay, a librarian; and teacher Lourdes Gatan-Cabauatan; Jojo Binay was raised as a single child. His parents died when he was still young and he was left to live with his uncle Atty. Ponciano Binay.

As an orphan who struggled to live on his own, he rounded the neighborhood daily to gather slop for his uncle’s backyard piggery and looked after his uncle’s fighting cocks.

To support his studies from elementary to college, Binay took on more similar jobs. A product of the Philippine public school system, he studied at the Philippine Normal College Training Department, University of the Philippines Preparatory High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and Bachelor of Laws from University of the Philippines. While in law school, he worked as a Claims Examiner in Insular Life Assurance Company. After passing the bar in 1968, he took graduate studies in Public Administration from the University of Sto. Tomas.

While earning his graduate degree, Binay gave lectures and taught law (taxation and land reform) at St. Catherine's School of Nursing and Midwifery, political science and public administration subjects at the Philippine College of Commerce (now Polytechnic University of the Philippines), Philippine Women’s University and St. Scholastica’s College. At the same time, he worked as a legal Counsel of Carlos Loyzaga who was then a city councilor of Manila. He also became an assistant attorney in the Deogracias T. Reyes Law Office, and later on, a senior partner in the Binay, Cueva and Associates Law Office.

Social activism during martial law

After marrying OB-gynecologist Elenita Sombillo, Binay gave free legal assistance to poor clients and victims of human rights abuses during the Marcos administration. His advocacy for the protection of human rights developed during his student days in UP, where he was a member of the student council and was part of the growing student movement.

His involvement in student activism later brought him to the parliament of the streets. He joined the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), which was formed by former senator Jose Diokno and the August Twenty-One Movement (ATOM), formed shortly after the assassination of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. in August 1983. He was also founding member of the Movement of Attorneys for Brotherhood, Integrity and Nationalism, Inc. (MABINI), a group of progressive lawyers that include the late Sen. Lorenzo Tañada, Sen. Wigberto Tañada, former Sen. Rene Saguisag and Sen. Joker Arroyo. MABINI members, including Binay were detained by Marcos for helping political prisoners.

Brown king in a mestizo land

For more than two decades now, a single name has ruled over Makati. After EDSA People Power in 1988, he became the first local government appointee after being named Officer-in-Charge by the Aquino administration for Makati which was then a municipality.

The appointee from Old Makati’s Culi-Culi had then leveled the playing field, said the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), for his fellow indios against the Spanish mestizos, the likes of the Ayala and Zobels who have lorded upon the place since. From this time, "the short and dark-skinned indio has transformed to be the king in the mestizo land."

After a year, he was formally elected as mayor and consequently won re-election in 1992 and 1995. He was instrumental in Makati’s transformation to cityhood. When Binay's term limit ended, his wife Elenita, ran and won, continuing their family's reign in the city. During this break from local politics, Binay served as chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and was also appointed as vice-chairman of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC). In 2001 and 2004, the king was able to regain his fortress in the city.

Binay introduced a number of milestones in his "kingdom," which in turn helped develop the whole metropolis. Makati proved to be a leader in local government best practice with its pioneering programs on public education, health service and senior citizen care. Students’ uniforms, books and schools are well provided for constituents.

The Makati Health Plus program provides health care and benefits to over 100,000 residents. The 22-storey city hall which was inaugurated in 2001 and towers the prime business establishments in the city also illustrates Binay’s vision to run Makati in a corporate manner.

These accomplishments for the city has earned him various distinctions. In 2006, he placed 4th in the Top 10 Mayors of the World by an on-line poll organized by Worldmayor.com

The rise of the dark horse

Albeit his accomplishments as local chief executive, there are a number of graft and corruption allegations against Binay – payroll padding, illegal disbursement, overpricing, misappropriation of public funds, and falsification of public documents in transactions amounting to P137 million. In October 2006 Binay was suspended from office following claims of 'ghost employees' on the city payroll by former vice mayor Roberto Brillante.

Brillante, a colleague and former friend of Binay during the martial law period, says that power has corrupted Binay and made him turn his back on good and honest governance.

The suspension, however, according to Binay supporters was designed to divert public attention from the Macapagal-Arroyo government's own scandals. The suspension was temporarily lifted by the appellate court less than one week later and only resulted to boost his image as he received full support from political personages former president Cory Aquino, former vice president Teofisto Guingona and other MABINI members.

Binay is the president of the United Opposition (UNO), known for its critical stance against the Arroyo administration. Makati became host to numerous anti-Arroyo rallies, particularly broad protests against the 2004 Hello Garci scandal and demonstrations against Charter Change.

Recently, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) ran after Binay for not settling Makati city’s tax debts amounting to P1.2 billion. The Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) upheld the final tax assessment imposed by the BIR on the city covering unremitted withholding tax on the salaries of city officials and employees; expanded withholding tax from payments made by the city to its suppliers of goods and services; and value-added tax for the years 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2004.

After failing to achieve a settlement, the BIR in April seized control of the fixed assets of Makati. Revenue Commissioner Joel L. Tan-Torres said the BIR lodged a warrant of distraint and levy in the city’s Register of Deeds. However, the CTA issued a decision to issue a temporary restraining order preventing the BIR from garnishing the real properties of the city government.

In the PCIJ’s report of Binay’s twenty years as Makati mayor, it is said that allegations of corruption are not very much blown by residents, particularly the poor because Binay’s programs and projects deliver.

Binay is also slammed by his critics for allegedly breeding political dynasty. He is now the longest-serving mayor of Makati. His constituents grew up knowing only him and his wife as their mayor. He has also fielded his children, Marlen-Abigail (2nd term representative of 2^nd District) and Junjun (mayor-elect) into politics and desires his grandchildren to follow his lead.

Binay’s time to shine

Binay announced his 2010 presidential bid in November 2008, his 67th birthday. The United Opposition president ran under the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, and earned the support of former president Joseph Estrada. Believing that a city is a microcosm of an entire country, Binay highlighted the campaign slogan “gaganda ang buhay; Makati ngayon, Pilipinas bukas."

However, in September 2009, Binay decided to forgo his aspiration for the presidency after Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III declared his candidacy under the Liberal Party. For the opposition to be able to decide on a single standard bearer, Binay offered to mediate a dialogue between Aquino and Estrada, but this did not yield an agreement of forming a single coalition. Estrada pursued his candidacy and tapped Binay as his running mate.

In the early part of the campaign, the Makati mayor consistently held the third spot next to Nacionalista Party bet Loren Legarda and Liberal Party’s Manuel “Mar” Roxas. But in the final leg, after Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero made his pronouncement that he is endorsing Binay instead of Roxas, Binay’s survey ratings immediately surged.

Escudero’s Noynoy-Binay (Noy-Bi) endorsement is regarded as Binay’s secret weapon for his vice presidential bid.

Before his proclamation, Binay declared he is eyeing the cabinet position of secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The UNO president is confident that his 20-year experience of running the country's financial center is enough track record to prove that he can aid the new president in steering the country towards progress. He summarizes his platform in three principles - "the people make the economy work, the government makes the society work, and the economy grows by being better than others."

Membership in organizations/academic institutions

- Alpha Phi Omega International Service Fraternity in the University of the Philippines (Eta Chapter).

- Senior executive fellow of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University

Political and Civic Affiliations

• LABAN

- Member

- Chairman, Ad Hoc Committee

• Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban(PDP-Laban)

- National President

- Member, National Executive Committee

- Chairman, Makati Chapter

- Chairman, Metro Manila Council

- Chairman, Ad Hoc Committee

• Movement of Attorneys for Brotherhood, Integrity and Nationalism, Inc. (MABINI)

- Founding Member

- Vice-Chairman, 1985

• August Twenty One Movement (ATOM)

- Legal Counsel

• Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG)

- Chairman, Manila Chapter

• Boy Scouts of the Philippines

- National President, February 6, 1998 to present

- National President, 1994-1996

• Asia Pacific Regional Scout Committee, The World Organization of the Scout Movement

- Member (1998); Chairman (2007-2012)

• United Opposition (UNO)

- President

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