PHILIPPINE NEWS SERVICE — MAKATI Mayor and United Opposition (UNO) president Jejomar “Jojo” Binay announced his acceptance of the call for him to run as president in the 2010 national elections, at a rally attended by some 30,000 cheering supporters at the football field of the new University of Makati along J.P. Rizal St., Guadalupe, Makati.
“In accepting this challenge, I commit myself to lead all Filipinos, but especially those who have known nothing but hardships and suffering, out of this dark period of economic and social troubles, to a new era of change, hope and prosperity for all,” Binay proclaimed.
Mel Adriano, national president of the Alpha Phi Omega (APO) fraternity, the largest in the country and of which Binay is a distinguished member, read out an impassioned manifesto calling on Binay to run for president in 2010.
Simultaneous motorcades and rallies echoing the call for Binay’s 2010 candidacy were also held in other key cities and regions around the country, led by the group BRODDS (Band of Brothers and Sisters in Service), a volunteer organization pushing for social and political action through citizens’ service.
Binay’s candidacy will be anchored on a 12-point program that directly addresses pressing social, economic and political issues through a harmonious partnership between the government and the private sector, similar to that which he adopted during his 15-year tenure as Makati’s top local executive and signaled the city’s rise as the country’s commercial and financial capital.
Binay’s presence was likewise felt at a rally in Jolo, where he hopes to bring his message of peace and hope to one of the country’s most strife-torn areas.
In Cebu, the BRODDS contingent opted to fly “Binay kites” at the Mactan reclamation site in support of Binay’s candidacy.
In Jaro, Iloilo, the pro-Binay motorcade and rally was led by Binay’s brothers from the APO (Alpha Phi Omega) fraternity, who concluded the day’s activities by participating in the construction of the Gawad Kalinga’s Jaro City project.
Simultaneous rallies were also held in Naga City and the Bicol region, Davao City and Zamboanga City.