VICE President Jojo Binay can never recover from the beating he got from his rivals at the second presidential debate in Cebu City on Sunday.
That will surely bring his ratings down, and cost him the presidency.
Binay was hard put replying to accusations from former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Sen. Grace Poe and Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte that he was corrupt and, therefore, not fit to become President.
Binay, a lawyer, became legalistic in his answers: He has not yet been convicted of the corruption charges against him, so he鈥檚 presumed innocent.
But he didn鈥檛 answer the accusations directly and was聽聽 evasive.
Binay accused Poe of leaving the country and becoming a US citizen when the latter brought up the corruption charges against him during the first few minutes of the debate.
The Vice President鈥檚 evasive answers to corruption allegations against him made millions of people realize why he didn鈥檛 attend the Senate hearings on the alleged gross overpricing of the Makati City Hall parking building.
Even his most rabid followers鈥攖he unthinking and ignorant鈥攈ave probably changed their minds about voting for him.
Binay was cornered and looked helpless at the second presidential debate.
He tried to seek refuge from his notes or documents he brought with him to the podium, but he was told he would be聽 violating the rules in the debate.
The Vice President鈥檚 insistence that he should be allowed to bring notes to the debate鈥攚hich the Commission on Elections said violated its rules鈥攄elayed the start of the debate for one and a half hours.
Binay argued for one a half hours with TV5 organizers, led by Luchi Cruz, and Commission on Elections officials at the scene, headed by Comelec Chair Andres Bautista, over聽 bringing the聽 documents.
He blamed Cruz, who looked like she didn鈥檛 do her homework, for allowing him to do so.
Cruz apologized for her mistake, but Binay still took the notes with him to the debate, anyway.
Binay鈥檚 refusal to follow the no-notes rule in the second presidential debate鈥攈e still brought documents with him to the podium鈥攊s characteristic of the Vice President.
He is too arrogant to follow regulations.
In one instance, Binay鈥檚 convoy of cars went against the flow of traffic in the opposite direction on a highway in Laguna province聽 to overtake a long line of vehicles stuck in traffic on his lane.
Sirens blared when the Vice President鈥檚 convoy moved around, completely ignoring President Noynoy鈥檚 admonition to all against using sirens in the first days of his administration.
If Binay becomes President, it is most likely he will violate all the statutes in the book.
You鈥檇聽 be out of your mind if you vote for Binay.
*聽 * *
It would not be surprising if Binay doesn鈥檛 attend the third and final televised presidential debate.
He might set the precondition that the corruption charges against him in the Office of the Ombudsman or Sandiganbayan should not be taken up during the debate.
Or, he might come up with all kinds of excuses, like being sick on the day of the debate.
He knows that attacks against him by his rivals will become stronger than the last debate.
The corruption allegation is Binay鈥檚 Achilles heel.
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