Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 28) — The two Binays running for Makati City mayor got engaged in a word war during a forum held in a church Saturday.
In a Facebook post by former Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, he and incumbent mayor Abigail “Abby” Binay were seen bickering at one another in the San Ildefonso Parish in Makati for a poll-related forum.
The video showed Junjun patting his older sister Abby, before she answered back. The exchange between the two was inaudible. Soon enough, a Makati official mediated between the two.
Junjun, in his post, said his side of the scuffle.
“Makikita po natin sa video na ito na ako ay tahimik na naka upo sa aking upuan. Pagkatapos mag speech ni Ate Abby, pabalik sa kanyang upuan, pinandilatan nya ako at sinigawan na sinungaling,” the former Makati mayor claimed.
[Translation: We can see in the video that I quietly sat beside my chair. After my older sister Abby spoke, when she returned, she then screamed at me and called me a liar.]
Junjun said he tried to pacify his sister, but to no avail.
Abby, however, issued an open letter on her Facebook account — expressing her disappointment for the incident.
“Last night was no different,” she said. “Kahit nasa loob ng simbahan, madami silang pitik, pasaring at kasinungalingan. Kaya sinabi ko sa entablado, tama na ang paninira. Performance ang dapat pag usapan. Nakita ninyo kung ano ang naging reaksyon ng nakakabata kong kapatid. Nauwi kami sa isang sagutan dahil nagwawala na siya. Isang bagay na hindi ko maintindihan. Bakit?”
[Translation: Last night was no different. Even inside the church, they have many quips and lies. That’s why I said on stage, let’s stop ruining reputations. We should talk about performance. You saw how my younger brother reacted. We ended up in a word war since he started throwing a fit — one action that I did not understand. Why?]
The incumbent mayor then apologized to Makati City residents, including his father former Vice President Jejomar Binay for the incident.
“Dad, pasensya na. Sabi ko sa yo kaya ko magtiis. Pinangako ko sa yo, hindi ako magsasalita kahit gaano pa kasakit ang kasinungalingang ibinabato nila. Pero tao lang ako. Sa gitna ng isang pagwawala, dapat din akong sumagot at ipagtanggol ang sarili ko. Kasi sobra na, sobrang sakit na,” she said in her post.
[Translation: Dad, I’m sorry. I told you I can endure anything. I promised I would keep mum no matter how harsh the lies they spread are. But I’m only human. When someone throws a fit, I should answer back and defend myself. Because it’s too much, it hurts too much.]
Makati City has long been a bailiwick of the Binays. In October 2015, Abby Binay’s brother Junjun, who was then Makati mayor, was ordered dismissed and disqualified from running for public office by the Office of the Ombudsman over graft charges. Junjun then backed Abby’s mayoral bid in 2016, and won.
