BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO City – A rare but auspicious day for this city today. The country’s two highest leaders are visiting.
But while President Benigno Aquino III would be busy inaugurating infrastructure projects in Jaro and Mandurriao districts here today, Vice President Jejomar Binay is expected to rub elbows with the hoi polloi somewhere else.
At 8:30 a.m., Binay is leading a “boodle fight” with the residents of Brgy. Libertad, Lapuz district.
Sources said all the 180 barangay captains of Iloilo City have been invited, too.
The Vice President will be accompanied by Councilor Plaridel Nava whose father, Sumakwel is the barangay captain of Libertad.
Boodle fight is a military style of eating where long tables are prepared and food are on top of banana leaves. Participants eat using bare hands.
Binay actually arrived much ahead of the President – last night. He immediately visited the wake of 1Lt. Roger Flores of Brgy. Rizal Pala-pala.
A Philippine Marines officer, Flores was killed by the Abu Sayyaf in Patikul, Sulo last week.
At 10 a.m. today, the Vice President will speak at the Joint Eastern and Western Visayas Convention of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines at Hotel del Rio.
Binay has long been candid about his intention to run for president in 2016.
He had visited Iloilo several times since becoming the second highest official of the land in 2010.
While President Aquino’s visit is expected to last until this afternoon, Binay is expected to fly back to Manila after his scheduled engagements here.
At 7 p.m., he will lead the Joint Induction Ceremonies of the Philippine College of Rotary Governors and Philippine Rotary Magazine Foundation, Inc. in Pasay City./PN
