Chiz Escudero rejects tandem with Villar

Next to Noynoy, I like Chiz Escudero. If he becomes the president, you can expect our country to be in good hands. There were charges against Villar as raised by Jamby Madrigal but he never faced the senate hearings. Was it because he has many hidden agendas? What he did instead - using his billions - was launched an aggressive media campaign to deny the charges, claiming that the allegations are meant to undermine his bid for the presidency, according to Chiz. Can we ever forget that he was once a Marcos' ally and crony and it's easy to think that he has the Marcos’ style and training.
If I may borrow a reader's comment, we are taking another risk for our country if Villar becomes the next president.

MANILA - Senator Francis 'Chiz' Escudero on Friday rejected a team-up with Nacionalista Party (NP) presidential aspirant Senator Manny Villar even if an alleged Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that a Villar-Escudero tandem has the best chance of winning next year's elections.

“Impossible. It will never happen. I stand for good governance,” Escudero said in a statement.

“Given what I have seen and read about the allegations raised in the C-5 controversy, it seems to be just the tip of the iceberg. I cannot in good conscience run with or under him,” he added.

Escudero, who will turn 40 in October, is expected to seek the support of his party, the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), whose titular head is San Miguel Corp. (SMC) chair and chief executive officer Eduardo 'Danding' Cojuangco Jr..

Escudero said "Villar has refused to attend the hearings by the Senate on allegations raised by Sen. Jamby Madrigal in October last year that his real estate empire benefited from the diversion of the C-5 road extension project."

Instead, Escudero said "the billionaire senator has launched an aggressive media campaign to deny the charges, claiming that the allegations are meant to undermine his bid for the presidency."

“If the charges are false, then there is still time for Sen. Villar to present his side before his peers in the Senate,” Escudero said. [ABS-CBN]