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Philippine VP describes Aquino govt: Lazy, slow, indecisive
Philippine daily life: Filipino street vendor Mherly Cia smiles as she takes a selfie on her smartphone near a university in Manila, Philippines on June 9, 2015
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Philippine daily life: Filipino street vendor Mherly Cia smiles as she takes a selfie on her smartphone near a university in Manila, Philippines on June 9, 2015. She sells smartphone protective cases from 100 pesos (about US$ 2) each. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) (about US$ 2) each. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
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span class="inline inline-center">Philippine daily life: Filipino street vendor Mherly Cia smiles as she takes a selfie on her smartphone near a university in Manila, Philippines on June 9, 2015. She sells smartphone protective cases from 100 pesos (about US$ 2) each. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Where is the government?
Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay repeated this sentence throughout the 15-minute speech in Filipino as he delivered his sharpest words yet against the Aquino administration at the launch of his political party on Wednesday in Makati, the city that the Binay family has controlled for almost 30 years.
He devoted a large part of his stinging and emotionally charged speech lambasting the government, at one point describing it as an association of 'tamad, usad-pagong at teka-teka (lazy, slow and indecisive)' people.
'After five years, so many are still without jobs, hungry, ill and with no one to turn to, youths who cannot go to school, rampant crime and illegal drugs in the community. Poverty is widespread,' the Vice President said.
'The nation asks: 'Where is the government?'' he said, addressing the crowd from a glowing red lectern shaped like the No. 1, resembling the digit in the logo of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).
Binay noted that until now no charges had been filed against the killers of the 44 members of the police Special Action Force in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, on January 25. (Seventeen fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and five civilians also died in the clashes.)
Bungling, insensitive
Binay kept repeating the phrase 'bungling and insensitive,' which he first used last week in explaining his split with the Aquino administration.
'UNA is not an association of the bungling and insensitive,' he said. 'It is not a group of people who are lazy, turtle-paced, and hesitant in facing the nation's problems.'
The Vice President said that should UNA make any mistakes, it would own up to them immediately. 'We will not blame or accuse others. We will own up to the responsibility with humility.'
Apparently taking a dig anew at Sen. Grace Poe, who has overtaken him in recent surveys on voters' choice for president, Binay said his party was made up of people with 'experience and not newbies just studying governance and public service.'
If elected President, Binay said he would advance social services, strengthen agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, BPOs, quality basic education and healthcare.
He said the party would respect the Constitution and always let the law prevail.
'The country first! The people first! The Filipino first!' Binay said in concluding his speech. (hhr)
