Is there an agreement between Nacionalista Party standard bearer Senator Manuel “Manny” Villar and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) President Winston Garcia?
Cebu Vice Governor Greg Sanchez, who is seeking reelection under the Liberal Party, believed that Winston and Villar had a secret deal. Winston is the brother of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia who has thrown her support to the Lakas-Kampi presidential bet Gilberto Teodoro.
“The way I look at it, Winston, I heard, is close to the First Gentleman (Jose Miguel Arroyo) so there really is a secret deal,” the vice governor said. (While President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s party, Lakas-Kampi, has officially endorsed Teodoro, the Arroyos are said to be secretly supporting Villar.)
But Villar denied the reported deal with Winston when interviewed over station dyLA before he left for his campaign sortie in Bohol.
However, when asked if Winston was helping his campaign, Villar refused to say anything, saying he would not want to claim anybody’s support, only to be denied later.
Despite Villar’s refusal to confirm anything, Sanchez said Winston’s role in convincing local officials to support Villar had a deeper meaning because of his reported closeness to the First Gentleman.
However, Villar who held rallies in Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay cities Tuesday evening, said his opponents were just sowing intrigues anew.
Meanwhile, a source said he was surprised when he learned that Winston had been trying to convince local officials to back Villar while remaining part of the administration of President Macapagal-Arroyo who is endorsing Teodoro.
“He should have been removed,” the source pointed out.
The source said Winston was instrumental in the signing of a manifesto of support for Villar by some mayors and local candidates last Sunday.
The source also said that Winston was inviting some mayors to another meeting this week, presumably to convince them to support Villar even if the mayors and the vice-mayors under One Cebu had signed a manifesto for support for Teodoro on Monday evening.
According to the source, the signatories of the One Cebu manifesto could shift their support to Villar if they did not receive any funding from Lakas-Kampi.
The source who knew about the meeting held last Sunday in Hilton Cebu Resort and Spa said Winston and his brother Byron, credited for the popular dancing inmates in Cebu, arrived separately during the meeting.
Winston allegedly told the mayors that Villar was the only presidential aspirant who could save the party.
Meanwhile, Malabuyoc Vice-Mayor Lito Creus who is running for mayor, was also quoted in a local newspaper as saying that Winston was the one who convinced them to support Villar.
Creus was the only one who admitted that he signed the manifesto of support for Villar.
When he refused to sign the new manifesto of support for Teodoro on Monday evening, Governor Garcia ordered the revocation of Creus’ certificate of nomination issued by Lakas and One Cebu.
On the other hand, Villar said that he should not be blamed if the Garcia family was divided over whom to support for president.
Reacting to the governor’s claim that he had split the Garcia family, he maintained that the family members themselves made the decision to support him.
Villar said he did not want to join in the family’s disagreement but he added that he would welcome anybody who would like to help his presidential campaign.
There have been reports that aside from the governor’s brothers Winston and Byron, their mother, retired judge Esperanza Garcia, has been campaigning for Villar.
Although Garcia’s father, 2nd district Representative Pablo Garcia and brother 3rd district Rep. Pablo John supported the governor’s decision to back Teodoro, Sanchez said the LP leaders reported that the older Garcia and his son did not seriously campaign for Teodoro in their respective districts.
The governor’s cousin, former Cebu city mayor Alvin Garcia who is running for mayor again, has entered into an alliance with Villar.
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