Villar on Nograles moving to NP: I'll think about it

Nacionalista Party standard bearer Senator Manuel Villar Jr. has refused to comment on whether they will welcome to their fold sulking Lakas-Kampi-CMD party stalwart House Speaker Prospero Nograles. "I'll think about it when he asks me kasi speculative yan. We haven’t talk (yet)," Villar, NP president, told GMANews.TV before his appearance at Tonight with Arnold Clavio on Monday night. Earlier Monday, Nograles said he was seriously planning to leave administration’s Lakas-Kampi-CMD, citing the party's leadership crisis that began when its standard-bearer Gilberto “Gibo" Teodoro Jr. quit as party chairman two weeks ago. [See: More defections hit Lakas as Nograles eyes transfer to NP] Villar believed that Nograles’ statement was in reaction to incumbent Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s support to Liberal Party presidential bet Senator Benigno Simeon Aquino III and running mate Senator Manuel Roxas II. [See: Mayor Duterte throws support behind Noynoy]

On the possibility that Nograles’ entry to the NP might be construed as proof that Villar is indeed the administration’s secret candidate, the NP standard bearer said: "Why should any political transfer to NP be questioned, when some members of other parties also did the same to the Liberal Party? "E yung sa akin nagbabalak pa lang lumipat, ke Noynoy e nagsabi na, dapat sila muna ang tanungin nyo di ba (Nograles is still planning to transfer to NP, while another politician has already expressed support for the LP. Critics should ask Noynoy's party first, right?)," he said. He added that every local official has their own reason for leaving their party and he sees more movement from one party to another in the coming days. "Oras na kasi kung tutuusin mo, one month to go and nagpipilian na yan at inaasahan ko na sa mga susunod na araw, hindi linggo, ay magkakaroon ng mga lipatan, mayroong lilipat sa Liberal, may lilipat sa amin although naniniwala ako na higit na marami ang lilipat sa amin (During the homestretch to Election Day, we expect that more politicians would be transferring from one party to another. Some would move to the LP and some would transfer to our party, more so)," Villar said. 'Politics is addition' He said most of the local officials are used to having him as their leader being a former House Speaker. Other NP members, on the other hand, welcome a possible alliance with Nograles. "I personally welcome the joining of new leaders to the NP. Politics is addition," Cavite Rep. Crispin Remulla said in a text message to GMANews.TV. His younger brother, NP spokesperson and senatorial bet Gilbert Remulla, also seemed open to the idea. At a press conference Monday, the younger Remulla said Nograles has nowhere to go but Villar after Duterte supported Aquino. “If you think about it, in Davao, wala na silang pupuntahan. Mayor Duterte has declared already openly for Noynoy Aquino, where will Boy Nograles go? I think when you talk about old politics [being largely a local show] this would be a very prime example of that. Naghahanap sila ng pwedeng puntahan at siguro naniniwala na si Speaker Nograles that the NP may be a viable option, we’re not so sure," he said. Lawyer Adel Tamano, another NP Senate bet, believe local candidates are flocking to NP because "we’re just a step away from being declared the dominant minority party." The party named as the dominant minority party will get a copy of the election returns and an individual server for the fast election results. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.Tv