Vice President Jejomar Binay is greeted by a supporter in barangay Tisa while lawyer Collin Rosell, head of the Department of Welfare for Urban Poor (DWUP) looks on. (CDN PHOTO/ LITO TECSON)
Vice President Jejomar Binay is in Cebu again, this time till Thursday for various activities that include mingling with crowds and visiting north Cebu towns to meet local officials and survivors of typhoon Yolanda.
In a press conference, Binay said he wanted to keep in touch with the masses.
His visits around the country are widely viewed as an effort to get the pulse of the public and maximum exposure for a presidential bid in 2016.
“Mahirap i-distinguish na ako ay nangungumpanya at ako ay nagtatrabaho (It’s hard to distinguish whether I am working or campaigning),” he admitted.
He denied coming to Cebu to avoid the Senate blue ribbon committee investigation on the corruption charges against him.
“It’s all accidental but that’s the truth,” he said.
Binay shared a late lunch in a “boodle fight” or communal meal with vendors in barangay Tisa, Cebu city shortly after his arrival.
He met residents of barangay Basak in Lapu-Lapu Ciy for a dialog at the multi-purpose hall then held a press conference in the late afternoon.
Today, he will travel to north Cebu in Tabogon, Medellin, San Remegio, Daanbantayan and Bogo City. He will turn over wheelchairs and medical equipment to Daanbantayan officials before having dinner with former mayor Ma. Luisa Loot.
On Thursday, Binay will visit Tabuelan and Asturias towns before he leaves for Manila.
Binay said he was fulfilling commitments like attending to the housing concerns of 93-1 occupants and shelter assistance for the victims of supertyphoon Yolanda.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who visited Cebu last week, criticized Binay for evading the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation which resumed yesterday.
“If he wanted privacy, and wanted to avoid media questions, don’t be in the spot light. But if he wants to run for president, he has to answer allegations that he’s a thief,” said Cayetano in Filipino.
Binay was in Cebu two weeks ago when the Senate also asked for his presence in their ongoing investigation.