No proof of Binay desertion — Erap camp

There is no evidence showing that leading vice presidential candidate Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay deserted his partner, former President Joseph “Erap" Estrada, during the May 10 automated elections. “While it is true that the Erap camp has received various speculations and reports alleging that Mayor Binay ‘junked’ President Estrada, so far, there has been no hard evidence of this," Estrada’s spokesperson, Margaux Salcedo, said in a text message to GMANews.TV. Salcedo added that Estrada is studying the “possibility of electoral cheating" in areas where the former President’s votes were far lower than those received by Binay. Estrada received a single-digit percentage of votes in the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao where Binay got the most votes based on GMA News’ unofficial tally of votes. GMA News’ tally also shows Estrada at a distant second to Senator Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III in the presidential race. Binay, on the other hand, continues to lead the vice-presidential race by a slim margin over Aquino's running-mate, Senator Manuel Roxas II. PMP spokesperson Rafael Calinisan admitted that although a number of supporters believed “that some form of junking indeed happened," the party is still supportive of Binay. “We still recognize and support our vice-presidential candidate, Mayor Jejomar Binay," he said in a separate text message to GMANews.TV. Salcedo said Estrada’s confidence still remains with Binay despite issues being hurled toward their tandem. “President Estrada’s confidence in Mayor Binay’s loyalty and friendship remains strong, especially because Binay was not only President Erap’s running mate but also his good friend," she said. - KBK, GMANews.TV