Manila: Vice-President Jejomar Binay issued his version of the presidential address on Monday, lambasting the administration of President Benigno Aquino III while presenting himself as an alternative for the country’s top post.

In a speech that lasted several minutes at the Cavite State University in Indang, south of Manila, Binay said nothing much has changed in the country after five years under Aquino.

The Vice-President said that figures on economic growth that Aquino had recited during his State of the Nation Address last week masked the “painful truth” that only a few, which includes those who are already rich and those close to the President, benefited from the much-vaunted economic growth, while the majority of Filipinos are still poor, hungry and unemployed.

Since May Binay has been styling himself as the political opposition’s alternative for the Presidency.

“It is so easy to throw numbers around. Numbers that, at first glance, seem brilliant and desirable. But the glaring truth cannot be suppressed, the truth that has been hidden from and denied [to] the Filipino people in the last five years: [the] majority [of people] are still poor, hungry and unemployed,” he said.

As to the number of Filipinos having to leave the country for jobs, Binay said the current numbers top that of previous years.

“According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration itself, there has been an increase in the number of Filipinos wanting to leave the Philippines to find work in other countries.

“From 2,500 average daily deployment[s] before Aquino became president, the number rose to 6,092 during the first quarter of this year,” according to Binay.

The Vice-President, who was the presidential assistant on overseas Filipino concerns until he resigned two months ago, said that while it was true that many migrant workers were returning to the country, the administration refused to admit the real reason they have returned.

During his speech, Binay also presented his stand and plans on issues such as the Bangsamoro Basic Law, economic reforms and tackling poverty.

Binay said if the economic provisions of the Constitution were amended, the primary sectors of the country would be opened to foreign investors, resulting in increased jobs and employment opportunities for Filipinos.

Binay and Aquino used to be close friends and had served together under the incumbent President’s mother Corazon C. Aquino.

In May, the falling out between the two started to become evident as Aquino started to show partiality to the favoured candidate of his political party, the Liberal Party.

Last Friday, the Liberal Party and President Aquino announced that they are supporting the presidential candidacy of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.