Former President Joseph Estrada Monday snubbed a presidential debate at the University of Philippines even as other candidates ganged up on Senator Manny Villar for his allegedly inappropriate and “insulting” television ads. Estrada's campaign advisers said the former president did not participate in the debate since it was being sponsored by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, a newspaper with an alleged bias against him. “The executive committee of the campaign felt that the Inquirer is always biased against Erap (Estrada's nickname), that it would do more harm than good to attend, and advised President Erap not to go,” Estrada spokesman Margaux Salcedo, said. The debate was held a day before the campaign season for the 2010 automated elections begins. It was attended by Villar, Senators Noynoy Aquino, Richard Gordon and Jamby Madrigal; Gibo Teodoro; Eddie Villanueva; Olongapo City Councilor JC delos Reyes; and environmentalist Nicanor Perlas. It came a day after a nationwide survey showed Villar virtually tying Aquino for the lead in the presidential race. The Pulse Asia survey showed Villar getting 35 percent of the respondents' nod while Aquino had 37 percent. The two were virtually tied at first place since the survey had a plus or minus 2 margin of error. Madrigal, Villar's fiercest critic in the Senate, was the first to score the Nacionalista Party (NP) standard bearer for his numerous and frequent TV ads that play up his rise from being a poor boy from Tondo to a self-made billionaire and influential politician. “The jingles, the use of the children, the use of actors... just to endorse you is an insult to the Filipino intelligence,” said Madrigal. “People who have spent 2 billion pesos on ads who think they can buy Malacanang have no right ...” Madrigal said, trailing off as the crowd jeered lustily. Asked if there was anything good she can say about Villar, Madrigal quipped, “Yes, I like the way his hair is dyed.” Gordon also took a dig at Villar, saying “playing cute” does not sit well with the electorate. “The people's vote would eventually show that they reject candidates who say they are pro-poor but whose records show otherwise,” Gordon said in Tagalog. Delos Reyes joined in bashing Villar for his ads. “I believe if you are to serve there should be a message that conveys principle and platform and not empty campaign messages that just says ‘I'm pro-poor',” he said. Aquino, however, opted not to criticize Villar for his ads. But this did not prevent Villar from taking potshots at Aquino for his own political ads. “I am not an actor, I don't have a mother who was president, I don't have a celebrity sister. People who rose from poverty like me should be given the chance to level the playing field,” he said. Villar was referring to Aquino's mother, the late former President Corazon Aquino, and celebrity sister Kris Aquino, who has drawn major celebrities such as Sharon Cuneta, Regine Velasquez, and Ogie Alcasid to support her brother's presidential campaign. Gordon also joined in attacking Aquino, saying a candidate who promises not to impose new taxes is only fooling the public just to win their votes. Gordon said he will institutionalize new taxes unlike Aquino who earlier vowed to go after smugglers and tax-evaders instead of raising new taxes. Aquino lashed back at Gordon, saying Gordon's statement was unjust. “All I said was that it will me immoral to raise new taxes at a point when the government is not efficiently collecting the taxes that are already there. I promised not to impose new taxes because I plan to push for efficient collection. If we do this, we will recover the revenues we should have collected way earlier if not for corruption,” said Aquino, who celebrated his 50th birthday on Monday.
