Jejomar "Jojo" -Cabauatan Binay, Sr - (born on November 11, 1942) is the 15th and current Vice President of the Philippines, under President Benigno Aquino III. He was the longest-serving Mayor of Makati, having been in office from 1986 to 1987, 1988 to 1998 and again from 2001 to 2010. He is concurrently serving as the Chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and the President of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.
Binay is married to Elenita Sombillo, who is a physician by profession. She was elected Mayor of Makati in the 1998, and served until 2001. They have five children, three of whom are politicians:
- María Lourdes, "Nancy" - incumbent Senator
- Mar-Len, "Abigail" - Representative, 2nd District of Makati City
- Jejomar Erwin, Jr., "Jun Jun" - Mayor of Makati City
- Marita Angeline, "Anne"
- Joanna Marie Blanca
Life and Education:
He is the younger of two children of Diego "Jego" Medrano Binay, a librarian from Bauan, Batangas, and Lourdes Gatan Cabauatan (died January 2, 1951 in Pasay City), a school teacher from Cabagan, Isabela. He had an older sibling who died before he was born making him the only child who survived childhood. After being orphaned at the age of nine, he was adopted by his uncle, Ponciano Binay.
Binay went to the Philippine Normal College Training Department for his elementary education. He later went to the University of the Philippines Preparatory School for his high school education. For college he attended the University of the Philippines, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Political Science, and later a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law. He passed the Philippine Bar Examination in 1968. Additionally, he took up master's degree in Public Administration at the University of the Philippines, and master's degree in Law at the University of Santo Tomas.
Binay took up graduate studies at the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP), the Command and General Staff College (CGSC), the Center for Research and Communication (now known as the University of Asia and the Pacific), the Joint Services Command Staff College (JSCSC), and the UP School of Urban and Regional Planning. He also received a certificate from the The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania after completing the International Housing Finance Program. He was a senior executive fellow of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Legal Career:
Upon taking and passing the Bar exam, Binay chose a different path of being lawyer, that of being a human rights lawyer. During the Martial Law period, he lawyered for the political prisoners detained unjustly by the Marcos regime in the 1970s.
Soon, he co founded along with other fellow human rights lawyers like Joker Arroyo and Rene Saguisag, a national movement of lawyers known as MABINI to coordinate their efforts in advancing the cause of nationalism and, on protecting human rights.
For helping political prisoners, many MABINI lawyers, including Binay, were imprisoned.
Political Career:
Mayor of Makati City (1986–1998)
In February 1986, Binay became one of President Corazon Aquino’s first appointed local officials after Mayor Nemesio I. Yabut died while in office during the EDSA Revolution.[7] He was elected in his own right in 1988 and was reelected in 1992 and 1995.
He joined pro-democracy forces in preventing the mutinies against the Aquino administration from being successful. His active role in the defense of the Constitution earned him the nickname "Rambotito" (or little Rambo, after the screen hero), the Outstanding Achievement Medal and a special commendation from Aquino.
MMDA Chairman (1990-1991)
During his first term as mayor, Binay was also elected by the mayors in Metro Manila as chairman of the Metro Manila Authority, which was a precursor to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). He served from 1990 to 1991.
In 1998, he was appointed chairman of the MMDA with cabinet rank under the administration of President Joseph Estrada. He was also appointed as vice-chairman of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission.
Mayor of Makati City (2001–2010)
In 2001, Binay reclaimed his post as mayor of Makati, winning over actor, TV host, and then-vice mayor Edu Manzano via landslide and became a critic of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He won his second term in 2004 by a landslide against 1st district Councilor Oscar Ibay. He ran for his third and last term as mayor in 2007 and won again by a landslide, beating incumbent Senator and actor Lito Lapid. His margin over Lapid has been considered as the largest margin in a local election in Makati City.
Binay initially announced his bid for the presidency for the 2010 elections during his 66th birthday celebration at the Makati City Hall on November 11, 2008 but abandoned his bid in order to give way to the reelection bid of former President Estrada. He eventually became Estrada’s running mate and ran under the banner of Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-LABAN).
He initially showed a relatively poor performance in the public opinion polls, trailing behind Senators Loren Legarda and Mar Roxas, who was heavily favored to win the race, but his standings improved as the elections approached, overtaking Legarda and tying with Roxas in the final survey conducted.] He went on to narrowly defeat Roxas in the election by 700,000 votes.
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