United Opposition (UNO) vice presidential candidate Jejomar C. Binay urged local government officials Monday “to elect one of their own,” even as he pledged a support fund worth P5 million annual for infrastructure to each of the country’s 1,497 towns under an Erap-Binay administration.

“I have told President Erap that the first national budget that we will send to Congress must include a request for a P7.5 billion fund that will provide infrastructure support in the amount of P5 million pesos for each and every municipality,” he said.

Binay said that the P5 million will be separate from whatever projects and programs the national government intends to implement in said town. “It will be up to the Sangguniang Bayan to decide where to spend that money, for as long as it will comply with all accounting, auditing and procurement rules,” he added.

Binay also said that finding money for the “local government infrastructure support fund” would not be a problem, since the P7.5 billion needed “is equivalent to what we collect in VAT for two weeks.”

“Instead of allowing that money to be impounded, why not just distribute it to local governments where it could make a big difference in people’s lives?” Binay said.