Villar woos Makati Business Club, bares pro-poor agenda

MANILA, Philippines - After bombarding voters with his rags-to-riches story, Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. faced yesterday a critical business group to declare his commitment – and capability – to steer the country out of poverty.

“Just as I have promised to the people, we will make poverty alleviation our top priority. However, this is something that everyone, including the poor themselves, must strive for and work towards,” Villar said in a speech before the Makati Business Club.

“What I can do is give more access and opportunities to those who don’t have it because they are poor,” Villar said.

MBC members are generally critical of the Arroyo administration. A survey among its members has shown their wide support for Liberal Party presidential candidate Sen. Benigno Aquino III.

Villar was accompanied by his running mate, Sen. Loren Legarda.

“I will build safety nets for the less fortunate - more access to health care, for example. For our OFWs, there must be a system to address their needs when they encounter trouble overseas and to bring them back if need be,” he added.

Prior to his speech, Villar had a lunch of Salisbury steak with vegetables and steamed rice with businessman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Ramon del Rosario, Cesar Purisima, Rizalino Navarro, Dave Balangue, Felipe Alfonso, Ricardo Romulo, and Jose Cuisia, who are trustees of the MBC.

He jokingly told his hosts that he thought he was sitting with the Cabinet members of his closest rival, Aquino.

He admitted that he was reluctant at first to accept the invitation of the MBC to the Presidential Series, saying “I am not exactly your favorite candidate.”

“Although one must mention that the survey I saw represented only 13 percent of your membership. Someone even warned me that it would be like Barrack Obama addressing the Ku Klux Klan,” Villar said in jest.

Emphasizing anew that it would take an experienced manager to lead the country and that the presidency is not an on-the-job training, Villar said his administration would have zero tolerance for graft and corruption.

“Sadly, there is no country in the world that has been able to eliminate it (corruption) completely. I will work hard to reduce it significantly,” Villar vowed, adding that his administration would “set the tone for a competitive environment.”

He also pushed for job creation, which he claimed is “critical to solving the poverty problem.”

“What I will do is to create an investment climate where our country will be back on the radar screen of foreign investors. Simply leveling the playing field is not good enough,” he said.

“What good is a level playing field here, if the field in other countries is much more attractive?” he asked.

“All investors want clear rules, simple tax laws, availability and competence of labor and decent infrastructure,” he pointed out.

He also vowed to institute vast and immediate improvements in infrastructure, citing his “first things to do list” included the project to connect the Northern Luzon Expressway with the Southern Luzon Expressway.

Since funding is limited, Villar said he will consider implementing it through a build-operate-transfer scheme.

“I will strike a delicate balance between balance and safeguarding the environment,” he added.

MBC survey

MBC executive director Alberto Lim said the perception of businessmen, especially those in the MBC, may change after Villar has outlined his platform during the forum.

Lim believes the “low” ratings of Villar “could change” because he had a good showing.

“That’s why he accepted the speaking engagement because he is not merely talking to the MBC but the entire business community,” Lim told reporters.

“I have been accused of C-5 which is to me a clear concoction. I have answered that many times... there are others that I am supposed to be the candidate of GMA. I have not talked to GMA ever since I was ousted as Senate president,” Villar said.

“This morning, I got my cell phone (and saw text message) that I supposedly slept at the house of Ampatuan before the massacre,” he added, causing laughter among the audience.

New taxes

Villar also did not rule out initiating additional taxes “if necessary.”

“I cannot promise no new taxes as the next administration will inherit empty coffers. The fiscal deficit this year is projected to balloon to over P300 billion or about 3.5 percent of GDP,” he said.

“It would be irresponsible of me to limit my options knowing the magnitude of the problem,” he said.

“Of course, we will push to raise revenues and spend wisely. But as we have seen, raising revenues is not a simple matter. We already have one of the highest tax rates in the region,” he said.

“But people will have to pay their taxes. I am beholden to no one that I will be in a strong position to reduce tax evasion and smuggling in this country,” Villar said.

“I reserve the option to increase taxes. I did not say I will do this. We will stop smuggling, we will go after them. I will show that we are capable of going after them,” Villar said. With Dino Maragay