The election is just a month away and predictably, accusations and counter-accusations from various politicians running against each other are flying right and left. Philippine politics is crazy and gets even more so come election time, I mean they are even taunting each other to get psychological tests now (maybe to prove who's crazier?)
Politics here is not for the faint of heart. So what's happening now as the election approaches is just the usual. Anyway, my FB friend Caloy shared this video of Winnie Monsod's analysis of Manny Villar's C5 road extension project and Noynoy Aquino's SCTEX. Watch this and decide for yourself.
I know I'm being a tad dramatic but I feel like Manny Villar is stalking me these days... his campaign ads are just everywhere, there's just no getting away from his orangey mug, it seems. When I open Yahoo! messenger, Facebook and even when I'm just reading my friends' blogs he's inevitably there. I don't begrudge Manny Villar's financial success (he worked hard for it) that makes it possible for him to have a campaign war chest in the billions (he's spent P543-M on ads so far), but this is getting ridiculous.
Facebook...
Villar's campaign spending looks like it's working for him--recent polls attest to this. I have anecdotal evidence too... when we visited a tribal settlement in Bicol, kids are singing the campaign jingle from his TV ad and several tribe members we talked to there would vote for Villar because "si Villar ang tunay na mahirap" directly quoting from it. The song might be cheesy but it's undeniably catchy, even my nephew and nieces love it.
on my friends' blogs?!!!
I don't watch much TV, so I have largely avoided the brunt of this campaign season's ad blitz from politicians running for something or other, but I log onto the internet everyday and I tell you Manny Villar's ads are creeping me out. I like the guy, but I couldn't help but think that if he's spending this much money to get elected president--if he wins, wouldn't he try to recoup his "investment" from us? He's a businessman after all...
Based on published rate cards, Villar’s ads cost a total of P1.2 billion in 3 months. It’s almost equal to the combined spending of P1.3 billion by 5 other leading presidential candidates.
This is disappointing news... of all the Presidential candidates, Senator Manny Villar has the best backstory... born into a poor family in Tondo, Manila--he sold shrimp and fish in his youth so he could support his education. With determination and grit he was able to build one of the largest real-estate companies in the Philippines. He is completely self-made and is now according to Forbes Asia magazine the 9th richest Filipino with an estimated net worth of $530 million. It's very hard to root against a guy like that.
The Senate investigation on the C5 road extension controversy has been going on for months. Villar is being accused of having used his influence so the road would run through his properties... his corporations allegedly received road right-of-way payments. As a keen observer of the goings-on in Philippine politics... I would not even pretend that this is not politically motivated, of course it is. This is the Philippines--everything is politics here.
Whatever happens with this investigation...I hope the Senators would be fair to Manny Villar and quit their grandstanding. I might not be voting for the man (succumbed to the "Cory Magic", wink!) but I have profound respect for what he has achieved by his hard work and daring.
