Vice President Jejomar Binay addresses the crowd during the 36th National Conference of Employers at Marriott hotel in Pasay City on Friday. Binay told the business community his family only has five bank accounts, denying the Anti Money Laundering Council report that he owns about 242 bank accounts. (MNS Photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) — Vice President Jejomar Binay claims he was not aware that the issue of her birth will be raised against Senator Grace Poe.
In an interview with reporters in Biliran Thursday, Binay said he is not the kind of person who will ridicule adopted children.
“Alam mo may bahagi yata ng pananalita ni Mareng Grace tungkol sa pagkakaampon sa kanya. Ako, si Jojo Binay, kukutyain ko iyong mga ganyan? Hindi si Jojo Binay iyan,” he said.
He added that like Poe, he is an adopted child but unlike the senator, his adoptive parents were not rich.
“E kasi ako, inampon din lang ako ng tiyo ko. Mabuti pa nga si Mareng Grace, gumanda ang buhay niya. Iyong pagkakaampon sa akin e ako ang namamalengke, kumukuha ng kaning-baboy. Hindi si Jojo Binay ang mangdudusta sa mga naaapi,” he said.
Poe is the adopted child of actress Susan Roces and the late actor Fernando Poe, Jr.
Some say she is not eligible to run for higher office because it is not known if she is a natural-born Filipino citizen as she does not know her parents.
But it seems Binay has no plan to tell his spokesperson to stop raising the issue.
“Nandiyan na iyon. Tingnan na lang natin kung ano’ng (mangyayari),” he said.
Binay, however, reiterated that he already told his ally, United Nationalist Alliance interim president Toby Tiangco, to not raise the issue.
“Alam mo, alam ko na iyong issue na iyon. Sabi ko kay [Navotas Representative] Toby [Tiangco],
‘Huwag mo nang galawin iyan. Alam mo na, kaibigan ko ang tatay niyan. Kaibigan ko rin iyan,” he said.
In 2004, Binay, then still the mayor of Makati City, served as campaign manager of the late Poe in
the presidential elections.
Asked if he sees Senator Poe as a threat, the Vice President just said: “ Okay lang po iyon.” (MNS)