In a brazen show of muscle, the Binays of Makati recently forced themselves upon the helpless security guards of posh residential subdivision Dasmarinas Village. They wanted to use a particular gate, and no lowly guards could stop them.
The kingdom, er, city of Makati, is part of metropolitan Manila. It’s one of the richest cities, if not the richest, in the Philippines. Dasmarinas Village is a gated enclave of the rich and famous.
The Binay family has been lording over Makati City for decades. They currently dominate not only Makati, but Philippine, politics, starting with the father, Jojo Binay, who is the country’s vice president; Sen. Nancy Binay, Rep. Abigail Binay, and Makati Mayor Junjun Binay.
As it turned out, that Dasmarinas Village gate usually closes at 10 P.M. for security reasons, and it was already close to midnight when the Binays wanted to exit through it. Mayor Junjun Binay wanted to go through and nothing was going to stop him. His sister, Sen. Nancy, was with him in the convoy of cars.
According to press reports, the subdivision guards stopped the convoy and, obeying their standing orders, bade the Binays to use another gate, only 150 meters away. Mayor Junjun wouldn’t budge, he wanted to exit through that gate.
Everybody, residents and visitors, observe the rule. For security reasons they don’t pass through that gate anymore after 10 P.M. per their village’s rules.
But not the Binays.
A confrontation ensued. Makati police were called in. The mayor’s security clutched their guns more tightly, poised to protect their bigshot boss.
How could the village’s poor security guards be a match for such firepower? It was like puny David aligned against the mighty Goliath.
Power speaks loudly in this country. The guards were forced to give in to the demands of the important, very important, passenger. They had to let the convoy go through the gate.
Perhaps just to make sure the guards realized their erring ways, not recognizing political royalty in Makati, and to make sure who’s boss, they were taken into custody. Police would later say the guards weren’t taken into custody, but that they voluntarily went with the mayor’s group to the police station. But who believes that? That wouldn’t make sense to anyone.
The media later reported that the guards’ boss, the head of the security agency protecting Dasmarinas Village, duly apologized to the mayor. And rightly so, that’s how politics works in this country. If your employees are intimidated and humbled, it’s your duty to apologize to those who intimidated and humbled them.
It soon went viral on the Internet, the video of the mayor’s henchmen confronting mere security guards.
The incident, no doubt, will affect the image and reputation of the mayor’s father, Vice President Jojo Binay, who will be running for president in 2016. His opponents will dig up the incident and make the connection that that would be the way the Binays will be acting if and when the father gets to the presidency.
Binay the Elder countered news reports by saying that his son, the mayor, deserved courtesy when he wants closed gates opened for him so he could pass where he wants.
The video and the resulting flak may or may not have any effect on Jojo Binay’s run for the presidency. But it will be used, no doubt, to flagellate him.
The key here is that the subdivision gate was already closed and another one a short distance away was open. The Binays could have easily, without fuss, gone to the other gate. But they insisted on going through the closed gate. That is muscle-flexing, bullying and intimidation. It’s abuse of power, an exercise of the petulant ways of the powerful.
The spokesman for the Binays, always quick to the draw when defending his principals, tried to downplay the impact of the video. That is the job of spokespeople.
Whether the incident will have a negative effect on the vice president will be a question that cannot be answered at this point. We will have to wait and find out later. But many people have taken notice.***
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