Immediately after former Senate President Manny Villar declared his intention to run for the presidency, some senators, his potential rivals for the position, met and discussed among themselves how to “level the playing field” for the race. They immediately plotted to oust Villar from his post from then on. That was what Sen. Allan Peter Cayetano revealed in an interview with Probe.
Technically, Villar was not ousted, but actually resigned from his post last November 17, after he was informed early in the day that the numbers are sufficient to remove him from his post. Fourteen senators (two over the majority) immediately installed Sen. Juan Ponce-Enrile, an administration ally, as the new senate president.
All indications point to the 2010 presidential election as the chief motivation behind Villar’s ouster. Three opposition senators – Panfilo Lacson, Manuel Araneta Roxas (MAR) and Loren Legarda, all potential presidential candidates, spearheaded the treacherous move. Administration senators jumped into the bandwagon with essentially the same motivation.
Although some quarters floated rumors that the party behind Villar’s ouster was either the administration (unhappy with Villar’s handling of the ZTE-NBN and Joc-joc Bolante affairs), or former president Joseph “Erap” Estrada (in revenge for Villar’s leading role on his impeachment), the coup plotters themselves said that they were the brains behind the conspiracy.
In a subsequent interview, Legarda explained their action. She said, “We must have a Senate that is committed to fairness, statesmanship, and we must put national interest above political gain or expediency. We worked hard to get the numbers to oust Villar to strengthen the institution.” – a euphemism for “we should oust Villar at any cost, so we can reduce his advantages over us in the race to the presidency”. Villar’s advantages include a very deep war chest and an extensive provincial network.
The latest Pulse Asia survey on leading “presidentiables” puts Villar on second place, just a percentage point behind the leader – Vice President Noli de Castro, the administration’s potential candidate. The three chief coup plotters were behind in the survey, with Legarda at fifth, Lacson at sixth and Roxas at seventh. Another senator, the young Chiz Escudero is at number four, just behind Estrada who shared second spot with Villar.
Interestingly, Villar’s rise in popularity came at the heels of efforts by his rivals to undermine his leadership at the Senate. Roxas and Legarda continually accuse him of cozying up with the administration to obtain concessions, while Lacson and his minion, Sen. Ana Consuelo Madrigal, accused him of double insertions in the national budget, particularly the allocation for the C-5 road extension project, which reportedly, will benefit his properties along the route. Lacson doggedly threatened to investigate him at the ethics committee.
As clearly shown in the surveys, the concerted attacks on Villar did not diminish his popularity a bit, but improved his standings, instead. This is perhaps due to the perception that Villar, a self-made man and a rags-to-riches story, is incorruptible and is basically honest.
The people’s sympathy is now with Villar, for it is a known fact that Filipinos are fascinated with underdogs. And with senate management duties off his shoulders, he could now devote more time on his campaign. So, even if Lacson-Roxas-Legarda, et al. succeeded in leveling the playing field with his ouster last Monday, Villar may start to pull away in the race to the presidency, contrary to the desires of his rivals.
Technically, Villar was not ousted, but actually resigned from his post last November 17, after he was informed early in the day that the numbers are sufficient to remove him from his post. Fourteen senators (two over the majority) immediately installed Sen. Juan Ponce-Enrile, an administration ally, as the new senate president.
All indications point to the 2010 presidential election as the chief motivation behind Villar’s ouster. Three opposition senators – Panfilo Lacson, Manuel Araneta Roxas (MAR) and Loren Legarda, all potential presidential candidates, spearheaded the treacherous move. Administration senators jumped into the bandwagon with essentially the same motivation.
Although some quarters floated rumors that the party behind Villar’s ouster was either the administration (unhappy with Villar’s handling of the ZTE-NBN and Joc-joc Bolante affairs), or former president Joseph “Erap” Estrada (in revenge for Villar’s leading role on his impeachment), the coup plotters themselves said that they were the brains behind the conspiracy.
In a subsequent interview, Legarda explained their action. She said, “We must have a Senate that is committed to fairness, statesmanship, and we must put national interest above political gain or expediency. We worked hard to get the numbers to oust Villar to strengthen the institution.” – a euphemism for “we should oust Villar at any cost, so we can reduce his advantages over us in the race to the presidency”. Villar’s advantages include a very deep war chest and an extensive provincial network.
The latest Pulse Asia survey on leading “presidentiables” puts Villar on second place, just a percentage point behind the leader – Vice President Noli de Castro, the administration’s potential candidate. The three chief coup plotters were behind in the survey, with Legarda at fifth, Lacson at sixth and Roxas at seventh. Another senator, the young Chiz Escudero is at number four, just behind Estrada who shared second spot with Villar.
Interestingly, Villar’s rise in popularity came at the heels of efforts by his rivals to undermine his leadership at the Senate. Roxas and Legarda continually accuse him of cozying up with the administration to obtain concessions, while Lacson and his minion, Sen. Ana Consuelo Madrigal, accused him of double insertions in the national budget, particularly the allocation for the C-5 road extension project, which reportedly, will benefit his properties along the route. Lacson doggedly threatened to investigate him at the ethics committee.
As clearly shown in the surveys, the concerted attacks on Villar did not diminish his popularity a bit, but improved his standings, instead. This is perhaps due to the perception that Villar, a self-made man and a rags-to-riches story, is incorruptible and is basically honest.
The people’s sympathy is now with Villar, for it is a known fact that Filipinos are fascinated with underdogs. And with senate management duties off his shoulders, he could now devote more time on his campaign. So, even if Lacson-Roxas-Legarda, et al. succeeded in leveling the playing field with his ouster last Monday, Villar may start to pull away in the race to the presidency, contrary to the desires of his rivals.
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