Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:59:00 11/17/2009
Filed Under: Inquirer Politics, Eleksyon 2010, Manny Villar, Loren Legarda, Pacquiao
MANILA, Philippines—It was a victorious day for two Mannys.On the day Manny Pacquiao made history as the only fighter to dominate seven world boxing divisions, Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr. quietly captured the heart of a woman he wanted to be his vice presidential running mate.
At a private dinner in Makati City on Sunday, Sen. Loren Legarda said yes to the standard-bearer of the Nacionalista Party (NP), who was with his spouse Cynthia, the representative of Las Piñas City.
Villar will personally make the announcement today (Tuesday) at 3:30 p.m. at the Laurel House, his residence, on Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City.
Legarda confirmed this to the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview shortly after the dinner, which lasted three hours.
“He told me, ‘I believe in your platform on environment, agriculture and climate change,’ and I said, ‘I believe in your platform on helping migrant workers and pushing for their rights.’ In that respect, we clicked right away,” Legarda told this reporter.
She said she made it clear to Villar that the next administration should focus on the environment as the cornerstone of the overarching goal to defeat poverty in the land.
“I want the country to be great again, green again, and what I bring to the vice presidency is a green economy, investments and jobs, and green sustainable development,” said Legarda, who has championed environmental causes for over two decades.
Weeks of preparation
The one-on-one meeting followed several weeks of talks, and materialized on the day the other Manny destroyed Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto.
“It was a day of two Mannys,” Legarda quipped, pointing out that Pacquiao’s victory had brought inspiration and hope to a storm-devastated nation.
“His victory gave us hope that the Filipino can,” she said.
Priority to countryside
The election union had been largely expected by political observers following the decision of Sen. Francis Escudero to bolt the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC). That decision left Legarda suddenly without a presidential running mate.
Legarda said that if elected vice president, she would ensure the strict implementation of the environmental laws she had authored, and make the national budget “anchored on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.”
This will benefit agriculture, fisheries and rural livelihood.
“There is hope if we give priority to the countryside,” she said.
Asked how giving premium to the environment would address widespread hunger among Filipinos, she said: “Going green is an antidote to poverty because climate change directly affects our right to food, potable water and access to jobs and livelihood as what [Tropical] Storms ‘Ondoy’ and ‘Pepeng’ have shown.”
Asked why she chose Villar over other presidential aspirants, Legarda said: “I woke up one day realizing that our platform and aspirations for this country, especially uplifting the poor’s lot in life, converged.”
Where’s the boss?
The alliance was a “meeting of the minds” and “not based on personalities,” she said.
Sushi and sashimi were served during the dinner, which was arranged by a “private person.”
Legarda observed that Villar was “very relaxed, very open.” Initially, Villar’s wife was not around.
“When I asked about Cynthia, he told me that she was attending a wedding. So I said, ‘Why don’t you bring Cynthia here? Please ask the real boss to come,’” Legarda said she teased Villar.
Villar’s better half came.
Focus of meeting
“It was a very light meeting focusing on the platform and alliance but operational details of the campaign were not yet discussed. There would be a formal press conference within the week to formally announce the alliance,” she said.
Legarda was optimistic about the prospects of a Villar-Legarda tandem.
“It’s not only me winning, both of us must win. You must believe—do you have any doubt?—that I really want you to be my vice [president],” Legarda quoted Villar as saying.
Positive campaign
Legarda said she and Villar would “focus on a positive campaign.”
Told that she once criticized Villar’s decision not to participate in the Senate probe of accusations that his real estate empire had benefited from the C-5 Road project, Legarda said: “I don’t even call that criticism. In a democracy, you allow all views to come out. I wanted it to come out so that we can listen to all views.”
She said she would not prejudge the results of the investigation.
“A committee report is coming out. All I can say is let the people decide in next year’s elections. I will not prejudge him and the issue,” Legarda said.
In a separate talk with Senate reporters Monday, Legarda said she would attend on Tuesday the announcement by Villar of his choice for running mate.
Asked about the prospects of an NP-NPC coalition, she said the colors orange (NP) and green (her campaign color) were a good combination.
Tuesday’s announcement would come exactly a year after Villar was ousted as Senate president. Legarda was among those who pushed for his ouster. With a report from Christine O. Avendaño
Source: http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/editorial/view/20091117-236689/Legarda-says-yes-to-Villar
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