Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:44:00 11/14/2009
Filed Under: Politics, Elections, Eleksyon 2010
MANILA, Philippines – As early as last month, the United States has begun to look at the credentials of presidential hopeful Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. who two months ago, met with American lawmakers and US State Department officials in Washington DC.Villar, the standard bearer of the Nacionalista Party, told the Inquirer Friday that he was with Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. during the meetings held from Sept. 21 to 23.
“Maybe they were sizing me up,” said Villar, who ranks second after Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III in the presidential surveys.
When reached by the Inquirer, Pimentel said Villar was “absolutely right” because the latter was asked about his views on the Visiting Forces Agreement, human rights and forced disappearances, and corruption.
Among the officials he and Villar spoke to were Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scot Marciel, whom they visited at his office, according to Pimentel.
“I think that means they’re considering him (Villar) to be a strong contender for the presidency,” Pimentel said.
Pimentel backs Villar
The Senate minority leader, who recently broke up with Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), admitted he was now supporting Villar in the presidential race.
But he said he was “keeping a watchful eye on the people around him (Villar).”
He was doing this, Pimentel said, because in the past, many presidents “started well” but ended up with tarnished reputations because of the company they kept.
But Pimentel made it clear that nothing was certain until all candidates file their certificates of candidacy.
He said he and Villar had been invited to speak at a forum of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies last Sept. 21 and “from there, things happened.”
They soon had meetings with senior officials of the White House security council, the State Department and members of the US Senate and House foreign relations committee.
Series of meetings
In a report he made to the Senate after his return from Washington, Pimentel said Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Marciel was interested in the Moro secessionist wars, the human rights situation and the VFA.
Pimentel and Villar also met with the US State Department’s Susan Niblock, who is the Philippine Desk Officer of the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs and Kathy Kerr, country analyst of the Philippines and other South East countries.
In a talk with reporters before speaking at the top level management conference of the Kapisanan ng Brodkaster ng Pilipinas in Tagaytay City, Villar underscored the need for the country to reestablish its ties with the United States under the administration of President Barack Obama.
“We had different relations with the US under the Bush administration,” Villar said, stressing that the United States is an important partner.
Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091114-236122/US-sizing-up-Manny-Villar
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