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Binay slams Roxas for voting for VAT

03/13/2010

United Opposition (UNO) vice presidential bet Jejomar Binay yesterday took a dig at Sen. Manuel Roxas II for voting in favor of the value added tax (VAT), saying that “genuine oppositionists” do not favor tax measures that burden the poor.

“The true opposition is completely against the VAT (value added tax). You can ask my political opponents. They voted for VAT,” Binay said in an interview over dzBB by anchor Mike Enriquez.

Because of VAT, Binay said “the price of basic goods increased and everyone is affected.”

“Even the candies that your children and your grandchildren buy are not exempt from VAT because VAT is an indirect tax,” he added.

“Those who say they are oppositionists, let me tell you that you contributed to the sufferings of the people when you voted for VAT. Those who are real oppositionists opposed VAT,” he said.

Binay added there are many who claim to be members of the opposition, but were conspicuously absent during times of political crisis.

“There are those who claim to be opposition and there is the true opposition. For me there are glaring classifications that differentiate ‘instant’ opposition members from those who truly fight for causes of our countrymen,” he said.

“The instant opposition are those that are like noodles and coffee, just add water and there they are,” he said, referring to Roxas and other former supporters of Arroyo who jumped to the opposition when Arroyo became unpopular.

Referring to his tandem with former President Joseph Estrada, Binay said: “We are the true opposition, we can say directly that we are opposition. I cannot say the same for the others.”

“Seriously though, how can they be opposition when during the time of Edsa 2 they were the ones who made Erap’s ouster possible? Were they not the ones who abandoned the impeachment process?”

“Ang tatak ng oposiyon di marunong mang-iwan (The true opposition does not abandon),” he said, referring to “political butterflies” who move from party to party to serve their own political interests.

Binay stressed he did not abandon his party, the PDP-Laban, and did not jump ship during the so-called Edsa 2 despite invitations from former compatriots in the 1986 Edsa Revolution.

“Some of my friends from way back in Edsa 1 called me up to encourage me to join them at Edsa (Shrine). I said, teka partner, ano naman ang sasabihin ko diyan? Di naman ako plastic,” he said.

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