Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. yesterday said Vice President Jejomar Binay's attack on President Benigno Aquino shows his lack of principles and belief in the “daang matuwid (straight path)” campaign.

Binay, on national television Wednesday, attacked the Aquino administration, calling it “manhid at palpak (insensitive and bumbling)”, two days after he resigned from the Cabinet.

Marañon said Binay is being inconsistent, he should have resigned from the Cabinet a long time ago if he thought the Aquino administration was “palpak”.

It seems Binay, who is facing a string of graft cases, is attacking the president, just because Aquino would not endorse his bid for the presidency, Marañon said.

Binay, by attacking Aquino, is showing his true colors that he belongs to the opposition, and was never an ally of the president, the governor added.

Marañon said it is good Binay resigned from the Cabinet because he has a lot of cases to answer, which he should not just dismiss as being politically motivated.

Binay should provide evidence that he is innocent, he said.

The standard answer of most politicians facing graft charges is that it is politically motivated, he said.

On the call of the opposition for some Cabinet members planning to run in the May 2016 polls to resign, Marañon said it should be Binay, who should resign from his post.

From day one of his vice presidency, Binay declared that he was running for president and used his office to go around the country to campaign, the governor said.

Binay has been the only one, so far, who has declared that he is running for president, Marañon noted.

Others have not declared their candidacy and have focused instead on their department's efficient delivery of services, he said.

Marañon, who is supporting Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas for president, said his ratings in the latest surveys of Pulse Asia and the Social Station have been gradually going up.

It is better for one's ratings to gradually go up, than to start at the top and drop, he said.

The governor said history has shown that candidates who peak too early in the surveys lose the elections.

Roxas has had no stain of corruption to his name in all the years that he has worked in the government, and a president who will continue the “straight path” started by Aquino would ensure continued economic growth for the country, Marañon added.*CPG

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