United Opposition vice presidential candidate Jejomar Binay said Sunday that a local government, not the Senate, is the best training ground for an executive position like the vice presidency.

Binay, who is mayor of Makati City, said running a city is “24/7 service, with no holidays, unlike in the Senate where they work three days a week, and take three months off in a year.”

“The Senate can adjourn for a month. But there’s no recess for a city or town mayor because hospitals don’t close for the holidays, garbage collection does not go on vacation, peace and order work doesn’t take a time out,“ Binay said.

Local government work is still the best stepping stone to higher office “because when you are with your people, poverty is not a Powerpoint phrase, but one that you see in living color, on the faces of those who seek your help," he said .

Because they have lived out the travails of local executives, Binay said he and his running mate former President Joseph Estrada would “bring to the grassroots the resources of the government, including budgetary allocations.”

The Makati mayor also said that no ticket can boast of the fact that its presidential and vice presidential tandem has a combined 40 years experience in running a local government.

“Erap and I know how hard it is for local governments to raise money for projects that will benefit their people because we’ve been there and done that," Binay said. (with a report by Czarina Nicole Ong)