PNS — Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar, Jr. will not waste his money by bribing a fellow presidential candidate to drop from the race.
Villar said he did not offer anything to any presidential candidate, reacting to the claim of Bagumbayan presidential bet Sen. Richard Gordon that the NP front-runner sent an emissary to offer him a big amount of money in exchange for his withdrawal from the presidential race.
Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile said the emissary could be Sen. Edgardo Angara.
“Wala naman akong messenger na senador. Maraming mga ganyang pagtatangka na siraan na naman ako,” Villar said. “Hindi ako nag-o-offer ng ganyan. Wala kaming hinahangad na umatras. Basta kami, tuloy-tuloy ang pagkampanya,” he added.
Villar’s running-mate, vice presidential candidate, Sen.Loren Legarda, believes Villar is telling the truth. ”Manny will not do that. Period,” she told reporters.
In an earlier interview over dzBB, Villar said:”Magki-create sila ng impression na ako ay mahilig magbayad pero galing naman sa sipag at tiyaga itong pera ko. Galing sa dugo at pawis ito. Hindi ko ito basta ipinamimigay lang maski kanino. Kaya ko naman ito. Hindi ko kailangan sila.”
“Tumutulong ako sa mahirap. Aaminin ko napakalaking pera ang nilalabas ko sa mahihirap noon pa — for the past 20 years,” Villar said over dzBB’s “Ikaw Na Nga” presidential interview series.
He merely laughed off insinuations that he will recover the money that he had spent in his campaign if elected president. “Kung gusto ko mas yumaman pa, mas gusto kong maging negosyante na lang. Magaling naman akong negosyante, kikita ako. Eh, bakit tatakbo pa akong presidente?” he said.
Justifying his heavy spending for political ads, Villar said: “Ito lamang ang pagkakataon ko para makilala ako ng ating mga kababayan. Hindi naman ilegal iyan at pinaghirapan ko naman ang pera na iyan. Hindi naman ako artista. Hindi naman ako celebrity. Wala naman akong ama na presidente, ina na president,” he said.
Angara denied that he served as Villar’s emissary. “There is absolutely no truth to that. I was surprised to hear my name being dragged into the issue,” he said.
“We should move on to the more important issues of the national campaign. Whoever will win faces big challenges like a dwindling food and water supply, a growing population, poor educational standards, lack of healthcare, and a slipping national competitiveness,” Angara said.
NP senatorial candidate, lawyer Adel Tamano said Gordon’s recent tirade against Villar was a “desperate move” since his popularity ratings were so low.
“People who support Dick Gordon are the upper class. They’re not the group that will support Villar and the NP. Why waste time and effort on him?” Tamano said.