Duterte says he will support Manny Villar if he runs for president anew

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte raises the hands of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-LABAN) senatorial bets during the party’s Proclamation and Kick-off Rally held in the City of San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan on February 14, 2019. KARL NORMAN ALONZO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Real estate tycoon and former senator Manuel “Manny” Villar will have the support of President Rodrigo Duterte if ever he decides to seek presidency anew in 2022.

Duterte himself said this during the proclamation and kick-off rally of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) in Bulacan on Thursday, February 14, as he endorsed Villar’s wife, reelectionist Senator Cynthia Villar.

“Kung may presidente na suportahan ko si speaker (Villar). Sabi ko sa kanya, kung magtakbo ka, sa iyo ako (If there is a president whom I will support, that is the former speaker. I told him that if he will run, he will have my support),” the President said.

During the 11th Congress, Duterte was serving as the representative of the first district of Davao City. He was a congressman from 1998 to 2001. At that time, Villar was the speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Chief Executive recalled how he had no plans running for the highest post in the land in the 2016 elections because he did not have the ‘money’ to finance his campaign.

“Tapos, nag-dinner kami diyan sa EDSA — sa Chinese — EDSA plaza. Nagdala siya ng pera sa bag. Sabi niya ‘pang-umpisa mo lang kung gusto mo lang tumakbo, ‘pag hindi iyo na ‘yan (And then we went on a dinner in EDSA — in Chinese — EDSA plaza. He brought a bag of money. He said ‘this is just for starter if you want to run, if not, then it is yours),'” he said.

“So pinag-isipan ko. Nung talagang ano na — ang kampanya papalapit na.

Si ma’am (Senator Villar) pati si speaker tinawag nila ako, isang hotel na suite. Malaki, may sala. Usap kami. Sabi niya, sabi ni speaker pati ni ma’am, ‘Rody, tumakbo ka. Baka makatulong ka pa sa bayan (So I think about it. When the campaign was fast approaching, Senator Villar and the former speaker called me in a hotel suite. It was big and it has a living room.

Then we talked. The former speaker and Senator Villar said ‘Rody, you run in the elections. You might help the country’),’ he continued.

Duterte said the former speaker was “one of the factors” why he considered seeking the presidency. Garnering more than 16 million votes in the 2016 polls, Duterte won the presidential race, succeeding Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

In his speech, the President also praised Senator Villar whom he described as a “very dedicated public servant” and “very industrious.”

“Si ma’am, kailangan natin siya (We need Senator Villar) because she’s just like a mother to the nation. She keeps everything in order at (and she is a) minimalist ito si ma’am eh. Gusto niya mababa ‘yung presyo (She wants to lower the prices of goods),” he said.

“Wala itong marinig ka na may kalokohang corruption. Mayaman man si ma’am eh (You won’t hear such thing that she is involved in corruption. She is rich),” he added.

The real estate magnate ran for president in 2010, where he finished third following now Manila City Mayor Joseph Estrada and Aquino.