UPLB students lining up to ask VP Binay of the the issues he is facing and the issues being faced by the country. Photo courtesy of Chiqui Gianan of the UPLB Perspective.
It's not everyday you get to personally ask, or even criticize, the Vice President.
So when these students of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) learned that Vice President Jejomar Binay was in town Tuesday, they took the chance.
Weeks before the VP Binay’s actual visit, UPLB students already took to social media their sentiments about Binay, who, faced with many allegations of corruption, was to talk about good governance and transparency at the university forum.
Guien Garma: On political advertisements
Guien Garma, a senior BS Development Communication student and former News Editor of the UPLB Perspective, the University’s official news publication, asked the VP where he's getting funds for his political advertisements.
Garma, who has been seeing Binay's TV ads, was driven to ask VP Binay on whether the Office of the Vice President paid for his political advertisements. To which Binay responded: “Excuse me ha? Hinding-hindi po ha, excuse me ha? Pera ho namin iyon. Baka ang iba.”
“Definitely, students are not satisfied with his answers," Garma said.
Jevi Quitain: On Mindanao
The Junior BA Philosophy student and Production Editor of the UPLB Perspective, meanwhile asked the VP on the actions he took to solve the conflicts in Mindanao.
Quitain said that based on VP Binay’s answer, the VP just admitted that he has done nothing about the issues and conflicts in Mindanao.
Yvann Zuñiga: On Binay and his function
Zuñiga, Sophomore, a BS Forestry student and Vice Chairperson of the UPLB University Student Council, asked why there has been no talks happening between the administration and the rebel groups.
Wanting to shed light on how the current administration is addressing the issue of rebel groups, Zuñiga directed the question to VP Binay who was allied with the administration for five years.
But Zuñiga said he was disappointed that the VP kept detaching himself from the administration that he had been long part of.
“What we got is nothing from his answers,” he said.
Zuñiga stated that Binay offered no concrete actions regarding the issues on human rights violations and the conflict with the rebel groups.