Makati mayoral candidate Councilor Jun-jun Binay Monday criticized attempts to sow a “climate of fear” in Makati with the assassination of a Binay camp leader in Barangay Guadalupe Viejo.

“Without a doubt, there are desperate candidates who are bent on sowing a climate of fear in Makati but they are mistaken if they think we will be cowed into submission,” the young Binay, a son of Mayor and vice presidentiable Jejomar Binay, said.

The 63-year-old Bernardo Olarte was allegedly shot at 5 p.m. by a gunman in front of his house at 707 Jasmin St, Guadulupe Viejo last Wednesday. After shooting Olarte, witnesses claimed the gunman walked into a green Toyota Corolla.

Olarte was rushed to the Ospital ng Makati Acute Care Center where he died after sustaining gunshot wounds in the head and back.

The young Binay said that Olarte’s death and the failed assassination attempt of his godfather and political adviser Gerardo Limlingan are “both politically motivated.”

“If the intent is to frighten us, then the perpetrators are mistaken. We will not be intimidated by violent acts of gangsters disguised as candidates,” he claimed. “Lalong hindi tatanggapin ng mga taga-Makati ang ganitong klaseng mga kandidato. Walang lugar sa Makati ang mga gumagamit ng karahasan. (The citizens of Makati won’t accept those kinds of candidates. There is no place in Makati for that kind of treatment.)”

These acts of violence are also the reason why the councilor is encouraging the intensification of the gun ban in Makati, especially during the campaign period.