Press Release
November 18, 2009

VILLAR-LOREN TO WAGE 'POSITIVE' CAMPAIGN

Sen. Loren Legarda, NP-NPC vice presidential candidate, said yesterday she and Sen. Manny Villar, NP presidential candidate, will wage a positive campaign in the coming elections to enlighten the people on the issues based on their common platform of good governance.

In an interview following the formal announcement of their political partnership at the Laurel House in Manila, Villar and Loren explained that their "differences" on political issues in the past were "normal" and part of the democratic process.

Loren explained that she voted for the Senate resolution for the investigation of Villar on the budget issue because she supported the democratic process. She was one of the 12 senators who signed a later resolution dismissing the complaint against Villar before the ethics committee because no evidence was found of his guilt.

On the other hand, Villar said he harbored no ill feelings against those who voted for the probe resolution "as it is part of democracy" and that one cannot expect everybody to agree on the same thing always. He stressed that during the ethics committee hearing all the witnesses cleared him of any wrongdoing.

On the poll survey results showing that their Liberal Party rivals were ahead in the polls, Villar pointed out that the gap has been narrowing. He said that the early results of the polls were due to "emotions" aroused in September, referring to the funeral of the late President Corazon Aquino. As the campaign progresses, the picture would change.

Loren expressed confidence that once she and Villar are able to bring the issues to the people in the course of the campaign, they will be able to catch up with their rivals and overtake them.

Villar explained that it was he who initiated the move to draft Loren as his vice presidential running mate because he found that they have a common platform. Loren pointed out that both of them are for the eradication of poverty, for a clean and green environment, against corruption, for women's rights and for settling the leftist and Muslim insurgencies through sincere negotiations.

Loren added that she and Villar would not resort to personalities in their campaign, but to stick to the issues and the planks in their platform to educate the people on the issues of the elections.

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