Does VP Binay recall what he said about PNoy before?

By Raïssa Robles

Hi guys, I’m back from attending the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum.

While I was in Bonn enjoying the first day of the forum, my Samsung Tab vibrated with a news alert: Vice President Jejomar Binay had resigned from the Cabinet irrevocably.

Hmmm, I thought, what had made him resign months before the filing of his certificate of candidacy?

Two days after resigning, Binay started blasting President Benigno Aquino III directly. He called Aquino’s presidency “manhid at palpak” (unfeeling and a failure).

And he said the people wanted the exact opposite of the PNoy presidency.

What comes to mind is what Binay thought of the PNoy presidency before.

In 2012 – oh my – he praised the Pnoy administration to high heavens when he spoke before the Philippine Chamber of Commerce of Industry.

He said:

“The Aquino administration has done much to plot a socially equitable course of governance, and the strong multi stakeholder approach that typifies its work ensures that the country stays on an even keel. But as we build on the successes of the reforms that we immediately put in place early in this government’s term, we remain well aware and firmly committed to raising the bar that we measure ourselves against.

The Philippines has been registering a significant increase in credit ratings and confidence levels in the leading development bodies, particularly Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s. There is widespread confidence that an investment grade status is already within reach and already, in the first half of 2012, the Philippines recorded an increase in real GDP by 6.1%.

Political reforms have in great part made these strides possible. Old specters such as corruption, human rights abuses and electoral fraud have been cast out through the political will exerted by the current leadership. In this crusade towards equitable and just development, the Filipino people continue to bestow the highest trust in President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, who to this day is free from the taint or suggestion of corruption, and those of us who occupy the highest positions of national leadership.

The President’s hardline stance on issues has fueled the Filipino people’s faith that all they aspire to is indeed within reach. This focused and uncompromising approach in tackling the hard issues that the Philippines faces is our bond with countries who seek to be our partners in economic development. Part of our ethos is the cornerstone belief of minimized intervention by government in the business sector, while maximizing the gains of growth by translating the influx of resources to socially beneficial goods and services such as health, education, and mass housing.”

So what happened to all these sweet words and fulsome praises?

What really changed for VP Binay, I wondered.

Was it

Was it his realization he probably won’t be getting presidential endorsement?

Was he just pretending to laud PNoy? If that’s the case, what does that make of his trustworthiness?

Or – I hope not – is this a sign of Alzheimer’s when Binay can’t recall what he said before?

Just wondering.

Perhaps he has to explain the sea change. It would be hard to trust a leader who would say one thing one day and another thing another day on the same subject.

Below is a copy of his entire speech which I downloaded from the Office of the Vice President website.