MANILA, Philippines - Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. decried what he described as double-standard when it comes to the issue of black propaganda involving him and his rival, Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Sen. Benigno Aquino III.
Villar, who graced an ABS-CBN late night news program the other night, could not hide his exasperation about how he has been treated in the media during this campaign period.
He resented the perception that he was getting desperate and resorting to black propaganda against Aquino, particularly on the issue of the latter’s mental health.
“I am the one who is swimming in black propaganda yet I am being asked if I am getting desperate and resorting to black propaganda,” Villar said in Filipino.
“This is very sad because I think I am the victim here. I haven’t engaged in black propaganda,” he added.
Villar said it was unfair that Aquino and the LP have always been given the benefit of hurling their allegations against him and that he has always been obligated to answer these.
But when it comes to issues pertaining to Aquino, he said the LP’s move of brushing these off as black propaganda is accepted right away.
“Why is it that when it’s about the Liberal Party, it’s automatically black propaganda but when it’s about us then it’s immediately true? Isn’t this very one-sided?” Villar said.
‘Black propaganda almost every day’
Villar said his opponents have been dishing out some new black propaganda against him almost every day and that his need to answer these issues has taken a lot of his time from his campaign.
“I lose so much time. What is happening now is that the issues that should be discussed in the campaign are no longer being tackled, particularly the issue of the capability of the candidate to lead the country. That is the issue,” he said.
Villar lamented that Aquino has been dodging the issue of his alleged mental health problems, which he insists is valid.
Aquino has refused to dignify the allegations that he has a history of depression and illegal drug use based on allegedly fake psychiatric reports that have come out over the past few weeks.
Villar said the questions must be asked and answered by Aquino in the same way that he has answered the LP’s claim that he never really started out as being poor.
“You have to look into the report, too. When Noynoy said that I was not really poor, you never called this black propaganda but now that there is this report saying that Noynoy has a psychiatric problem, this is immediately dismissed as black propaganda,” he said.
“Why is it that I always have to explain how I was really poor but when it comes to Noynoy, you don’t ask him to explain the report?” he added. – With Jaime Laude and Christina Mendez