MANILA, Philippines – Ousted Senate President Manny Villar yesterday expressed no regret or rancor against his fellow senators, including the 13 who signed the majority’s resolution that asked him to step down as the leader of the Senate.
Villar is confident that his ouster as Senate president will not be a setback to his plans to run for president in 2010.
“I don’t see how it will affect me. Being Senate president had tied me down to this job. At least, I can say that I’m free to move around and have more time now to attend to the poor, to assist needy overseas Filipino workers, to serve the public more,” Villar said.
In fact, Villar noted, five of the 13 senators who voted against him are publicly known as his rivals in the coming May 2010 presidential elections – Senators Mar Roxas, Loren Legarda, Richard Gordon, Panfilo Lacson, and Francis Escudero.
“As we have seen, five of the presidential candidates all voted against me. So it’s up to our people to interpret it,” Villar said.
Villar told GMA-7’s 24 Oras news program last night that he is not taking it against his fellow presidential candidates for ousting him as Senate President.
“I will just continue my work as an ordinary senator. Nothing has changed. It’s not important (being ousted as Senate President). What’s important is to serve our people,” he added.
In the latest Pulse Asia survey conducted last Oct. 14-17, Villar ranked third among the preferred presidential candidates, which was led by Vice President Noli de Castro and former President Joseph Estrada.
Villar recalled that efforts to oust him started as early as two and a half years ago, when he was first elected as Senate President at the opening of the 14th Congress in July 2007.
“I’m happy that I was able to serve for two and a half years as Senate President, so I was not really surprised at all when they finally ousted me. But I respect the view of each senator and what they did. If they don’t like me anymore, then I will not force myself on them,” he said.
“It’s okay with me. I was born a squatter. I went through all the hardships in life. So this is just a small problem. I just smile at it,” he said.
Interviewed over ABS-CBN News Channel after he turned over to Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile his post as Senate president, Villar disclosed that it took him less than a minute to step down and give way to Enrile after he was presented with the resolution that contained the required number of signatures to change the Senate leadership.
“That’s why I made the decision to resign as Senate President when they got the number of 13 senators. That’s what a leader should do. You must resign already,” Villar pointed out.
“I belong now with the minority. That’s life here at the Senate. So I have no feeling of regret. That’s fine with me. That’s the game here at the Senate,” Villar said.
Villar refused to comment on speculations that Malacañang had engineered his ouster and his replacement by Enrile, who is a pro-administration senator.
“I don’t want to speculate. I will leave that to our people. But to me, any senator at any time who gets the majority is the new Senate president. So whatever is the stand of my colleagues, I respect it,” Villar said.
“Each senator has a reason for deciding one way or the other, or who he or she would follow. We have our individual principles,” he stressed.
“But I believe the new leadership can fight for the independence of the Senate,” Villar said.
He then went home and talked to his wife Las Piñas City Rep. Cynthia Villar and their children.