Reaching out to his rivals in the presidential race, Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Manuel B. Villar Jr. called for reconciliation soon after he cast his vote in his hometown of Las Piñas City on Monday, vowing to to respect the results of the first-ever computerized elections so long as they were credible and urging his opponents to do the same.
In an admission which could ensure a smooth transition of power come June 30, Villar himself said he would readily concede defeat in a credible, orderly elections
“First, if the elections are orderly, that's O.K. Hindi naman tayo pikon na tao (I am not touchy). I will support (the winner). I'm not a disorderly person. But I must be convinced that that is the will of the people,” he told reporters at a press conference.
Surprisingly, the man, who at one point claimed that he was already swimming in black propaganda after finding himself at the receiving end of potshots and damaging exposés, also apologized to his rivals for the mudslinging that had marred the 90-day campaign.
“To my rivals, well, I don't know if you have been happy with our campaign,” he said, explaining that the NP had tried its best to ensure “clean elections,” including a high-level debate.
“I had tried to bring up the issues (affecting the electorate) ... such as what we've done in the past. If you disliked anything (in my campaign strategy) … my apologies,” he said.
Villar pointed out that the NP had only wanted to run on an issue-based presidential race to elevate the level of electoral debate.
Everything went without a hitch when Villar and his wife, Cynthia, trooped to the same polling precinct a quarter before 11 a.m. on Monday.
The Villar couple arrived at the STI campus located inside the BF Resort Village in Barangay Talon Dos, Las Piñas at 10:43 a.m., proceeding immediately to vote at clustered precinct No. 222.
He tried to queue but was allowed by his neighbors to skip the long line, which stretched all the way to the street.
Their arrival triggered a minor disruption in the voting as TV crews and photographers jostled for space in front of the precinct.
Villar is listed as No. 188 in the voter's list, and his spouse, 187.
His voter's identification No. is 7601-0454D-L1349MBV1.
Their children Camille, Paolo and Mark also voted in the same precinct.
Only Villar's mother, Curita Bamba, voted in the next precinct, 229, which was separated from precinct No. 222 by a temporary wall.
With the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines working perfectly, the Villar couple finished casting their votes in less than 10 minutes, unlike other presidential candidates, including Liberal Party's Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, who had experienced technical glitches with PCOS machines.
Villar said he voted for his “group,” referring to the NP presidential and senatorial slate, but did not name names.
“I don't know if I am allowed to divulge that. I might violate (election laws) on the last day,” he quipped, then chuckled.
Villar's second son, Mark, is contesting the seat to be vacated by Cynthia, who is on her third term as representative of the lone district of Las Pinas.
At the press conference held under a tent near his polling precinct, Villar appeared jolly and relaxed, saying that he rested well the previous night.
““I am not nervous. Surprisingly, I am relaxed now compared to the past days. Finally, our campaign ceased and now we will know how … the 30 to 35 million people will vote,” said Villar, referring to the expected voter turnout from 50 million registered voters.
The NP standard-bearer sounded upbeat because the polls had finally pushed through despite the recall of all 76,300 compact flashcards last week.
“I'm confident. I did what I had to do. We are ready for any eventuality,” he said, adding:
“I believe we will win (but) whatever happens, we are all ready.”
Villar, however, stressed it was too early to say that the polls had been successful, saying people should look at the voter turnout as one gauge.
The elections had barely begun, pointing to transmission, canvassing and actual acceptance of the results by the candidates.
“This is just the start of the process … (let's wait) before we can say if the automation system is O.K. or not.”
He explained that he would easily accept the results, whatever the outcome, if there was no massive disenfranchisement of voters and technical glitches affecting the PCOS machines.
Villar called for unity and reconciliation, urging all candidates to respect the election results so long as they were credible.
“What is important is for the elections to be successful,” he said.
When asked if he would run again in the next presidential elections should he lose, he said:
“I don't have any plans now. I don't know what I will do tomorrow. But we don't run out of options. If we win, we have a lot to do,” he said, sounding optimistic.
“They won't have a hard time talking to me,” he added, without elaborating.
For security reasons, Villar will withdraw from the public's eye momentarily, a practice observed by all presidential candidates here and abroad during elections.
Villar will take this opportunity to spend quality time with his family.
“Wherever I go, I will be with my family … only with my family,” he said, stressing that he was “excited” at the prospect of not being bothered by the media anymore.
“I am also excited that the elections are over. I just hope that it will be orderly,” he said.
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