Senator Nancy Binay on Friday said she will support younger sister Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay-Campos in case the latter decides to seek a senatorial seat in the 2025 national and local elections.
Binay made the statement on Friday despite the likelihood that she would be running against Mayor Abby’s husband, incumbent Rep. Luis Campos, for the mayoralty race in Makati City next year.
The senator vouched for her younger sister’s competence, considering her background as a lawyer, especially now that one of her allies in the Senate had to vacate his post.
“My sister is a lawyer and just like now, Secretary Sonny Angara, who is also a lawyer, is no longer with us. So, we have [a] shortage [of] lawyers [in the Senate],” Binay said, referring to former Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, who now serves as Secretary of the Department of Education.
When asked if she will campaign for Mayor Abby in the next elections, Binay replied “of course!” After serving as mayor of Makati City for three terms or nine consecutive years, Binay-Campos is deemed ineligible to seek re-election in 2025.
The Binay sisters come from the prominent political family that has ruled Makati City for years. The two reportedly had a rift after Abby ran against their younger brother, then Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, Jr., who lost his re-election bid in 2016. Nancy, the eldest among the Binay children, supported their brother at the time.
In an interview over “Teleradyo Serbisyo,” Binay described her sister as “one feisty politician” unlike her whose mindset is to ‘Be Nice.’ “They should be ready because her (Abby’s) mantra is not “Be Nice,” the senator was quoted saying.
Binay noted, however, that running for mayor in Taguig remains an option for her sister. Mayor Abby has feuded with Taguig City after Makati City lost jurisdiction over the enlisted men’s barrios (EMBO) villages, among other issues.
The senator is currently in the middle of her own political feud with Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, husband of incumbent Taguig City Mayor Laarni Cayetano, over the New Senate Building issue. She acknowledges that politics is a tough game to play as she shifts to another chapter in her life.
Nevertheless, Nancy said she is thankful to the Filipino electorate because the Binays have stayed relevant in mainstream Philippine politics despite the mudslinging against them. She noted that Mayor Abby ranks well in pre-election surveys among potential candidates for senators.
“I think it is a validation… Our people still see the Binays as leaders,” Binay said.
Be the first to comment