Abby Binay shrugs off Junjun’s plea to back Nancy

Makati Mayor Abigail “Abby” Binay formalizes her Senate bid, filing her certificate of candidacy (COC) at the Manila Hotel Tent City on Friday, October 4, 2024. INQUIRER.net / John Eric Mendoza

MANILA, Philippines — Senatorial aspirant and Makati Mayor Abby Binay shrugged off her brother Junjun’s call to support their sister Sen. Nancy Binay, who will run to become Abby’s successor.

Abby said Junjun’s opinion bears no weight on her decision-making as she filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) to formalize her senatorial bid at Manila Hotel Garden City.

“I think that is his position and unang-una hindi naman na kami nag-uusap, so opinion niya ‘yun, (first of all, we don’t talk anymore, so that’s his opinion) and we don’t base our decision on what he says,” Abby said in an interview after her COC filing.

Abby said last January that she wanted to be succeeded by her husband, Makati Rep. Luis Campos Jr., as he was the only person she trusted to finish her projects.

READ: Binay vs Campos contest brewing in Makati City

However, Junjun said their father, former Vice President Jejomar Binay, backed Nancy’s mayoralty bid.

“Ang decision ng father ko (My father’s decision) is that it will be Sen. Nancy who will be running for mayor,” Binay said in an ambush interview on Monday.

“The request now goes to Ate Abs (Abby) since she’s now running for Senate, and she’s receiving all our support for her bid to get that senate slot, so sana suportahan naman niya si Ate Nancy naman niya (I hope she will support Nancy as well),” he also said.

Abby, however, said she wanted to hear it herself from the Binay patriarch.

“Kami po ay nagdesisyon na, matagal na, at ‘yung sinasabi nila na ‘yun daw po ang gusto ng ama namin, ay wala naman pong sinasabi ang aking ama sa akin,” Abby said.

(We decided a long time ago, and, as to our father’s wishes, my father did not say anything about it to me.)

“So I guess, I have to hear it [straight] from the horse’s mouth to believe kung ganoon nga ang kanyang sinasabi (if that’s what he is really saying),” she added.