Villar seeking good 'match-up' in 2010 presidential bid
By AMITA O. LEGASPI, GMANews.TV
10/26/2009 | 10:53 PM
In two weeks’ time, Senator Manuel Villar Jr. is set to formally announce his running mate and the Nacionalista Party (NP) senatorial slate for 2010, even as the NP’s standard bearer admitted on Monday that he has yet to pick his partner and that he’s adopting a wait-and-see tactic on the choice of bets of other political parties.
“S’yempre gusto mong malaman kung sino talaga yung matutuloy sa pagtakbo ng pagka-pangulo. Pagkatapos dun ka pa lang magpa-finalize kung sino ang magiging running mate mo. Mabuting malaman din kung sino ang mga running mate ng ibang kandidato para maganda yung match-up," the senator said in a press conference.
(Of course, you want to know who are really pursuing the presidency. Only then should you finalize who would be your running mate. It’s good to know who would be the running mates of other candidates. This ensures a good match-up.)
Potential partners
Villar said he is still choosing between two possible vice presidential bets, whom he did not name.
“Mahalaga kasi na prinsipyo n’ya at prinsipyo ko ay pwedeng magtugma at para mas malakas kung sino ang nakakatulong sa ating bayan. ’Yun ang primary consideration natin (It's important that I pick someone whose principles will match mine, and to ensure a stronger match, pick someone who is of real help to our country. That’s my primary consideration)," Villar said.
Villar added that his running mate need not come from his party.
“Hindi naman kailangan miyembro ng Nacionalista Party. This is an alliance of parties na merong common interest, merong common objective. Hindi namin nililimitahan sa partido ang magiging running mate (My running mate doesn’t have to be an NP member. This is an alliance of parties with common interests and common objectives. We are not limiting ourselves to possible running mates within the party)," he said.
Noli or Loren?
Asked about his possible partnership with either Vice President Noli de Castro or Senator Loren Legarda, the senator said he has yet to talk with the former while he refused to confirm any negotiations with the latter.
“Wala tayong dapat i-rule out sa ngayon, mga posibilidad pa ’yan. Ang sinasabi ko lang s’yempre mahalaga yung kagustuhan nila, hindi lang naman yung kagustuhan natin. S’yempre kailangan muna na gusto nila tayong maka-partner at gusto rin natin silang maka-partner," Villar said.
(We don’t have to rule out anything right now, these are all possible. What I’m saying is that what they want is important, of course, not just what I want. What's needed, first of all, is that they want to team up with us, and us with them.)
Villar said that he harbors no ill-feelings against Legarda despite the fact that she was one of the senators who voted for his ouster as Senate President in November last year and pushed for the ethics complaint against him.
“Normal naman iyan. Isasantabi natin ang mga isyung iyan. Wala naman tayong galit sa kanila, hindi tayo pala-away na tao. Ang gumagawa ng masama ay napapatawad natin (That’s normal. We could set aside those issues. We have no ill-feeling against them, we're not quarrelsome. We can forgive those who do us wrong)," he said.
Team-up time
While Villar is still weighing his options, other presidential aspirants have already found their respective matches.
The Liberal Party announced the tandem of Senators Benigno Simeon Aquino and Manuel Roxas II on September 21.
Meanwhile, the United Opposition made public last October 21 the partnership of former President Joseph Estrada and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay in 2010.
For her part, Senator Loren Legarda says she will run as vice president under the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).
Her party mate, Senator Francis “Chiz" Escudero, who is being eyed as NPC standard bearer, has postponed his announcement in deference to typhoon victims.
In this light, it remains to be seen if Villar’s wait-and-see strategy would be to his advantage or disadvantage.
Added issue
The Monday press conference was the first time Villar met with reporters after the Senate Committee of the Whole ended its proceedings on the ethics complaint filed against him.
Villar was accused of “conflict of interest" for allegedly using his position to have his properties benefit from road right of way claims in the construction of the C5 road extension project.
The Senate is now preparing its report on the ethics complaint filed by Senator Ma. Ana Consuelo “Jamby" Madrigal against Villar after the latter refused to participate in the hearings and present his evidence.
But as the presidential race begins to heat up, this issue has been placed on the backburner for the moment. - GMANews.TV
“S’yempre gusto mong malaman kung sino talaga yung matutuloy sa pagtakbo ng pagka-pangulo. Pagkatapos dun ka pa lang magpa-finalize kung sino ang magiging running mate mo. Mabuting malaman din kung sino ang mga running mate ng ibang kandidato para maganda yung match-up," the senator said in a press conference.
(Of course, you want to know who are really pursuing the presidency. Only then should you finalize who would be your running mate. It’s good to know who would be the running mates of other candidates. This ensures a good match-up.)
Potential partners
Villar said he is still choosing between two possible vice presidential bets, whom he did not name.
“Mahalaga kasi na prinsipyo n’ya at prinsipyo ko ay pwedeng magtugma at para mas malakas kung sino ang nakakatulong sa ating bayan. ’Yun ang primary consideration natin (It's important that I pick someone whose principles will match mine, and to ensure a stronger match, pick someone who is of real help to our country. That’s my primary consideration)," Villar said.
Villar added that his running mate need not come from his party.
“Hindi naman kailangan miyembro ng Nacionalista Party. This is an alliance of parties na merong common interest, merong common objective. Hindi namin nililimitahan sa partido ang magiging running mate (My running mate doesn’t have to be an NP member. This is an alliance of parties with common interests and common objectives. We are not limiting ourselves to possible running mates within the party)," he said.
Noli or Loren?
Asked about his possible partnership with either Vice President Noli de Castro or Senator Loren Legarda, the senator said he has yet to talk with the former while he refused to confirm any negotiations with the latter.
“Wala tayong dapat i-rule out sa ngayon, mga posibilidad pa ’yan. Ang sinasabi ko lang s’yempre mahalaga yung kagustuhan nila, hindi lang naman yung kagustuhan natin. S’yempre kailangan muna na gusto nila tayong maka-partner at gusto rin natin silang maka-partner," Villar said.
(We don’t have to rule out anything right now, these are all possible. What I’m saying is that what they want is important, of course, not just what I want. What's needed, first of all, is that they want to team up with us, and us with them.)
Villar said that he harbors no ill-feelings against Legarda despite the fact that she was one of the senators who voted for his ouster as Senate President in November last year and pushed for the ethics complaint against him.
“Normal naman iyan. Isasantabi natin ang mga isyung iyan. Wala naman tayong galit sa kanila, hindi tayo pala-away na tao. Ang gumagawa ng masama ay napapatawad natin (That’s normal. We could set aside those issues. We have no ill-feeling against them, we're not quarrelsome. We can forgive those who do us wrong)," he said.
Team-up time
While Villar is still weighing his options, other presidential aspirants have already found their respective matches.
The Liberal Party announced the tandem of Senators Benigno Simeon Aquino and Manuel Roxas II on September 21.
Meanwhile, the United Opposition made public last October 21 the partnership of former President Joseph Estrada and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay in 2010.
For her part, Senator Loren Legarda says she will run as vice president under the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).
Her party mate, Senator Francis “Chiz" Escudero, who is being eyed as NPC standard bearer, has postponed his announcement in deference to typhoon victims.
In this light, it remains to be seen if Villar’s wait-and-see strategy would be to his advantage or disadvantage.
Added issue
The Monday press conference was the first time Villar met with reporters after the Senate Committee of the Whole ended its proceedings on the ethics complaint filed against him.
Villar was accused of “conflict of interest" for allegedly using his position to have his properties benefit from road right of way claims in the construction of the C5 road extension project.
The Senate is now preparing its report on the ethics complaint filed by Senator Ma. Ana Consuelo “Jamby" Madrigal against Villar after the latter refused to participate in the hearings and present his evidence.
But as the presidential race begins to heat up, this issue has been placed on the backburner for the moment. - GMANews.TV
