ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – After securing an alliance with Mindanao religious leaders, Vice President Jejomar Binay takes the opportunity to hit rival Rodrigo Duterte, whom he says will bring forth "anarchy" if elected.
Mara Cepeda reports.
MARA CEPEDA, REPORTING: Vice President Jejomar Binay finds new allies in Mindanao after a group of religious leaders endorses his presidential bid.
The United Nationalist Alliance standard-bearer meets with the leaders of the Sabiel Almuhtadeen Foundation-Philippines, Incorporated. They hail from Zamboanga City, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.
SAHIE UDJAH, SEC-GEN, SABIEL ALMUHTADEEN FOUNDATION-PHILIPPINES, INC: He can help solve the Mindanao agenda for lasting peace and he can erase the issue of discrimination and injustices against Muslims in the southern Philippines. And we know that with his administration, and backed up by his senators-to-be, that the Muslim agenda in Senate or in the House of Representatives will be addressed politically, administratively and religiously so that peace in Mindanao will be in the hands of the Filipinos.
MARA CEPEDA, REPORTING: The foundation, composed of about 1,000 members, supervised 200 mosques across the country, conducts religious ceremonies, and organizes Islamic seminars and symposia.
SAHIE UDJAH, SEC-GEN, SABIEL ALMUHTADEEN FOUNDATION-PHILIPPINES, INC: If we endorse someone publicly, it isn’t for the interest of us Muslims alone, but for the interest as well of the the Lumads and the non-Muslims in the country because we can no longer afford that thousands of filipinos will die extrajudicially or through other means of execution or other means of killing people in disguise of peace
MARA CEPEDA, REPORTING: It is an indirect jab against Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte, whom Binay and other presidential bets have been hitting in the past weeks over his plan to suppress crime in 3 to 6 months.
The Vice President takes the opportunity to again slam his rival, who now tops the latest election surveys.
JEJOMAR BINAY, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All of us, Muslims, Christians, all of us have the moral responsibility na hindi ho maging presidente si Duterte kasi kapag dumating ho ang punto sabi ni Duterte na 'wag kayong magrally-rally sa Davao, ibig sabihin kapag hindi mo sinunod ‘yun, papatayin ka noon. Nakakatakot naman ho ‘yun. That is anarchy.
(That’s the kind of thing Duterte does. All of us, Muslims, Christians, all of us have the moral responsibility to stop Duterte from being president because when we reach a point when Duterte stops people from rallying in Davao, for example, going against that might mean he would kill you. That’s scary. That is anarchy.)
MARA CEPEDA, REPORTING: Binay later visits the Yakan Weaving Center in the city, where he tells the audience composed mostly of women that he would work to amend the Anti-Violence against Women and Children Act of 2004.
The Vice President wants to include provisions on protecting women against harassment on social media and other forms of communications technology.
He then signs a manifesto together with representatives of 5 local women’s group to promise that he would implement his plans to protect women’s rights should he win as president.
Binay also meets with barangay chairmen of Zamboanga City, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi to discuss UNA’s platform with them.
Binay spends 4 days campaigning in Zamboanga, where more than 1.9 million voters reside. It remains to be seen if the Vice President will be able to repeat his 2010 victory here in May.
Mara Cepeda, Rappler, Zamboanga City. – Rappler.com