ROSARY OR BRACELET?

| Binay giveaway
draws concern from netizens, CBCP head
By: Anne Fernandez, InterAksyon.com
July 13, 2015 5:59 PM

MANILA - Images of black wooden bracelets, described by some netizens as "rosaries" given
away by Vice President Jejomar Binay at his recent outings are not just going viral online; they
have sparked concern from the head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines.
At his first press conference on Monday after being reelected for another two-year term at the
111th CBCP Plenary Assembly, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas asked
politicians to refrain from using religious-themed items as giveaways. He did not, however,
name Binay, whose giveaways have drawn mixed reactions on social media, with some
thanking him for the "rosaries" and many castigating him for using religion.
The Binay camp denied he was giving out rosaries, describing the items - with the letter "B" on
an apparent cross - during his recent trip in Ormoc City, simply as bracelets.
"If we speak of separation of Church and State, there should also be a distinction between what
is sacred and what is secular. So if your intention is a purely secular motive, I beg of you to use
secular means to pursue your secular purposes," Villegas said.

He warned that the "abuse and misuse [of sacred items] will boomerang at you."
Images shared on social media after the Vice President's trip to Ormoc showed a black wooden
rosary-like bracelet with a letter "B" in the middle of what looked like a crucifix.
Binay was in Ormoc City to reach out to the families of victims of the capsized M/B Kim Nirvana.

Binay camp gives away wheelchairs,

cellphones in Negros Occidental

Sen. Nancy Binay and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez on Friday gave away a few cellular phones
and a few thousands of pesos during parlor games at a Negros Occidental venue while the
audience waited for Vice President Jejomar Binay who was scheduled to distribute wheelchairs
and medical equipment.
Nancy Binay and Suarez said the giveaways came from their personal funds.
The funds for the wheelchairs and the medical equipment, on the other hand, came from the
Office of the Vice President.
The Vice President also gave away t-shirts and rosary bracelets, which his camp said were
donations.
The rosary bracelets were no longer marked with a 'B,' indicating his the first letter of his

surname.
In an interview with reporters, Binay clarified his statement on Thursday about term limits of
local and national officials.
Ibalik na natin sa 1935 Constitution. Four years with one re-election [sa pagka presidente]. Yun
ang maganda. Dito sa local government dapat pabayaan natin ang mga tao kung sino talaga
ang gusto nila, he said.
Binay is the presumptive standard-bearer for the opposition United Nationalist Alliance.
The Vice President and his son, Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, are facing graft charges in
connection with alleged irregularities at the Makati City Hall when the elder Binay was still the
mayor.
The Binays have repeatedly denied the allegations, indicating they are just the subject of a
vilification campaign. -Andrei Medina/NB, GMA News

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