Villar's mom cries foul over 'lies' about son

(Updated 9:56 p.m) Facing the public for the first time, the mother of Senator Manuel Villar Jr. on Monday defended her son from his critics who supposedly peddle lies to derail his presidential bid. Breaking her silence at a press conference in her Las Piñas City home, Curita "Curing" Bamba Villar lashed out against those who accuse her son of lying about his poverty roots. [See: Manny Villar's roots were 'definitely middle class'] "Kung ayaw niyo maniwala pumunta kayo sa Divisoria market, Stall 2245...Akala ba ninyo hindi ako nasasaktan dun sa pinagsasabi sa anak ko? Halos ikamatay ko na (If you do not want to believe [we were poor], go to the Divisoria market, Stall 2245. Do you think I am not hurt by what is being said against my son? I almost died," Mrs. Villar said in tears, saying she used to remain silent when her son was being criticized. Asked why she decided to face reporters, Mrs. Villar said, "Aping-api na ang anak ko. Nasasaktan ang mga kapatid niya." "Ang sabi nila, ayaw daw nilang maniniwala kay Manny. Kahit ano raw sabihin ni Manny ayaw daw nilang paniniwalaan. Akala yata nila nagsasalbahe. Mahal na Birhen, ikaw po na ang tumestigo sa aking mga anak. Kayo na po ang magtanggol sa mga anak ko. Kaawawa naman po sya. Nagtiis na nga po kami ng hirap, naapi na ako sa palengke. Pati ba naman ang anak ko. Pati ba naman ang anak ko, maaapi pa ngayon," she added, in between sobs. One week before the press conference, Curing Villar granted GMANews.TV a private interview, during which she talked about her life in Bataan, how she met her husband, her start as a fish dealer, and losing a child. Mrs. Villar then sang "Stardust" by Nat King Cole, saying it was the song she and her son used to sing together, before breaking down into tears. She then told her son to stand firm amid all the criticisms hurled against him. “Anak, tatagan mo ang loob mo. Ang Diyos di natutulog. Alam ni Lord ang katotohanan." (Be brave, my son. God is not sleeping. The Lord knows the truth.) Not a publicity stunt Villar's sisters, Odette, Gloria, and Vicky denied that their mother's surfacing was a publicity stunt to gain sympathy for the senator whose ratings slumped by two points in the latest Social Weather Stations survey. The April 16 to 19 nationwide poll, conducted three weeks before the May 10 elections, saw Liberal Party standard bearer Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III gaining a point to 38 percent compared to a two-point drop to 26 percent for Villar. Vicky said Mrs. Villar had been crying every night. "Ayaw namin na umiiyak siya, kasi din bulag siya since July," she said. Vicky and Gloria denied organizing the press conference, saying they were surprised that journalists showed up at their house. They added that Sen. Villar did not know that their mother spoke at a press conference. However, reporters went to Mrs. Villar's house because of an advisory sent by Villar's staff late Sunday night. A TV advertisement showing Mrs. Villar talking about their poverty in the past also started airing Monday night. Villar’s sisters likewise insisted they were not using their mother for politicking, while Gloria added it was Aquino who uses his mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, to boost his candidacy. “Siya nga, sa mga posters niya, kasama niya iyong nanay niya," Gloria said. Mrs. Aquino’s death in August 2009 sparked calls for the younger Aquino to seek the presidency. In his campaign advertisements, Aquino has dropped the names of his parents, Cory and the late Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. - with Johanna Camille Sisante/RSJ, RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV