Binay to meet Yao Ming May 6

Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

BUTUAN CITY, Agusan del Norte, Philippines — A tall order for Vice President Jejomar Binay?

This Monday (May 6), the 5’0″ Binay will come face-to-face with Yao Ming, the 7’6″ retired Chinese basketball superstar who will pay him a courtesy call at the Coconut Palace.

Binay confirmed the affair on Wednesday, saying he would in fact take a break from a provincial campaign sortie to accommodate Yao, a former NBA All-Star who last played for the Houston Rockets in 2011. A foot injury cut short his professional career and he is now part-owner of the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association.

The Sharks will be in Manila for a couple of exhibition games with the Philippine national team and a selection from the Philippine Basketball Association.

“Yes, he will come that’s why I will cancel my visit in the province,” he told reporters in Filipino after leading the distribution of land titles and certificates at the Almont Inland Resort here.

But Binay immediately turned defensive, saying he would continue working despite his campaign obligations for the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).

“Dito sa kinaroroonan n’yo nagtatrabaho ako ha? Hindi porke ako ay nag-iikot para sa kampanya eh nagpapabaya ako sa aking trabaho (Here, I’m still working, okay?  I may be campaigning here but I’m not neglecting my work),” he said.