Villar's "silent majority" urged to come out

CEBU, Philippines - Local volunteers of presidential aspirant Manuel Villar yesterday urged the “silent majority” supporting the Nacionalista Party bet not to be afraid to come out into the open.

Businessman Ed Mendez, one of Villar’s local supporters, said many are supporting Villar since the senator announced his bid for the presidency only that they hesitate to express their support openly because of the black propaganda being thrown at Villar.

“There are many Villar supporters who are afraid to come out in the open because of the many black propaganda against Senator Villar,” Mendez said during a press conference yesterday.

Villar has since been linked to the C5 road extension project controversy and, more recently, his being allegedly the real bet of President Gloria Macapagal – Arroyo.

“If Villar is somewhat related to Arroyo, how come many Lakas-Kampi candidates moved to Noynoy’s party? So unsa na, Aquino-Arroyo?” Mendez said

“I’ll answer that issue in one sentence: Senator Villar did not accept a single centavo offered by his company even for compensation,” Mendez said on the issue of the C5 road extension project.

He said further that the issue of the alleged mansion in Salt Lake City, Utah that Villar allegedly owns was simply to destroy Villar’s reputation as being pro-poor. Despite the apology from the one who uploaded the pictures, he said, damage has already been done to the senator.

“They pretend to be good, and they make it appear that everybody who is against them is evil,” Mendez said.

Another Villar supporter, Paz Pelaez, also said she knows Villar since 10 years ago and that the senator is really from a poor family. “That’s why we come out in open because we believe in the man,” Pelaez stated.

“When we were having our campaign somewhere in Tondo a person pointed a certain house and told me that the senator used to live there,” she said.

Commenting on the challenge for presidential candidates to undergo a physical and mental test, Mendez said it is only right for presidential bets to undergo the tests, as even former president Fidel Ramos said the “presidency is like a pressure cooker.”

“We don’t want a president who would crack,” Mendez said. — Yvoughn Nadine Navarro and Abigail Libo-on, NORSU Interns/JMO   (FREEMAN NEWS)