Press Release
April 2, 2007

Villar Galvanizes Reelection Bid with
Successful Swing of Northern Mindanao

Reelectionist Senate President Manny Villar, riding high on the recent Pulse Asia survey which named him as having the highest trust rating among all public officials, took his campaign to vote-rich Northern Mindanao provinces, known opposition bailiwicks.

Villar, president of the Nacionalista Party, was warmly received by leaders of various political and sectoral groups in Cagayan de Oro City, Butuan City and Bukidnon province.

In market tours, Villar was mobbed by vendors and a highly enthusiastic crowd, who eagerly shook hands with him.

The reelectionist senator also visited the Gawad Kalinga housing project in Butuan called the Villar Village on account of his support to the said shelter program for the poor.

Cagayan de Oro, for years, had been a potent source of votes for opposition candidates, it being a consistent source of winning votes for the opposition.

Although he is running as an independent candidate, Villar is an adopted bet of the Genuine Opposition.

Villar, whose campaign slogan Sipag at Tiyaga has endeared him with the masses, has been a consistent topnotcher in the surveys, including those for the May 14 senatorial race.

The recent Pulse Asia survey showed Villar as being the most trusted public official in the country, with also the highest approval rating among the 23 incumbent senators.

In surveys on the senatorial race, Villar has consistently made it to the top four slots. Notwithstanding his strong showing in the surveys, it would still be work, work and work for the Senate President.

The campaign period is also an opportunity for us to go around the country and talk personally to our people. This is a chance for us to get to know our peoples pressing concerns and formulate solutions to problems affecting their lives, Villar said.

The campaign sorties would also serve as a venue for preaching the importance of entrepreneurship as an engine of economic growth in the country.

This is also the message he is set to stress to the graduates of the Bukidnon State University and the Mindanao Polytechnic State University in Cagayan de Oro which he will visit tomorrow (April 3) as graduation guest speaker.

Villar has been championing the cause of entrepreneurship in the country, himself having started as a fish vendor who made it big in business through his entrepreneurial skills.

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