“I’m excited. Dito the public will know who is saying the truth,” Binay told reporters in Camarines Sur.
“Ako ho ang naghamon, wala hong atrasan ‘to kung ako ho ang tatanungin niyo. Basta’t magkakaharapan po tayo,” he said.
“Nakikiusap ho ako doon sa mga nagsasabing hindi pa ako nagpapaliwanag. Tatlong beses na akong nagpapaliwanag, hanggang ngayon sinasabi pa hindi ako nagpapaliwanag. Ito pa ho ang isang pagkakataon para marinig po ninyo ang aming banda, ‘yung paliwanag po namin,” he added.
The debate, sponsored by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP), is set on November 10 but no venue has been announced yet.
Binay admitted that he was hurt by the allegations hurled against him and his family.
“Masakit ha, biro mo naman ‘yun sa loob at labas ng Senado tinatawag kang magnanakaw. Medyo masakit ho ‘yun,” he said.
The Vice President is accused of bid-rigging and receiving kickbacks from transactions the Makati City government entered into during his term as mayor. He has also been accused of owning a 350-hectare property in Rosario, Batangas that was not declared in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.
Binay has repeatedly denied the allegations, but has yet to announce whether he will heed the invitation of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee to attend the hearing on November 6.
Trillanes, for his part, said he is preparing for his face-to-face with Binay by studying the ropes of debate. He claimed he is the underdog in the debate as he is not trained for it, unlike Binay, a lawyer.
Binay said he is trying to reach as many people as he can to explain his side of the story.
“Talo na ho kami sa media, sa frequency talo na ho kami. Talo na ho kami sa mga broadcasters. Tanggap na ho namin ‘yun. Pero, talo naman namin sila sa sipag para humarap sa tao at magpaliwanag,” he said. — BM, GMA News
