Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Vice President Jejomar Binay got a warm welcome on Thursday, August 6, as he made his rounds in Tarlac, home province of President Benigno Aquino III, whose administration he had labeled as insensitive and incompetent.
And among those who greeted him was former Tarlac Rep. Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, the president’s uncle.
In his so-called True State of the Nation Address last Monday (August 3), Binay once again hit the Aquino administration for being insensitive and incompetent. Despite this, Tarlac residents kissed him, hugged him, and took selfies with him as he went around a public market in the morning.
Binay was overwhelmed.
“Kayo man ay mapalagay sa akin, ‘pagka ganito namang napakainit ng pagtanggap, talagang nakakalakas-loob, nakaka-motivate,” he said.
[Translation: “If you were in my place and you get such a warm welcome as this, you would really be encouraged and motivated.”]]
Cojuangco gave Binay’s confidence a further boost by saying that he would support his 2016 presidential bid, despite his nephew’s endorsement of Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II.
Asked about Binay’s chances in Tarlac, Cojuangco gave a straightforward answer: “Panalo – kung ang eleksyon ay malinis.”
[Translation: “He will win – if the election will be a clean one.”]
From the reception he got, Binay said he had a good chance.
“Eh ang tanong ko naman sa’yo from what you saw? Aba parang nakikini-kinita ko na malaki ang pagkakataon na ang magiging hatol sa akin eh [maganda],” Binay said.
[Translation: “Now, I’ll ask you, from what you saw? I can see there’s a great possibility that I will get good results here.”]
Cojuangco expressed fears, however, that the Aquino administration might cheat in the 2016 elections, unless the government could prove that the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines couldn’t be manipulated.
In 2013, Cojuangco’s wife, Margarita, popularly known as Tingting, ran for the Senate under Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) but lost. She then claimed that Malacañan had the PCOS machines manipulated.
Malacañan denied the allegation.
