Senator Benigno ‘Noynoy' Aquino III Tuesday said he does not believe Senator Manuel Villar's claim that he came from poor origins. Aquino raised his doubts after the Philippine Daily Star newspaper reported that Villar's family lived in an upper-class San Rafael Village in Navotas where Villar's brother died. The report, authored by Philippine Star columnist William Esposo, said the documents he got “shattered this once poor fantasy that Villar has been peddling.” Among the public documents obtained by Esposo are the death certificate of Villar's brother, Danny, and the Transfer Certificate of Title of the 560-square-meter property in San Rafael Village. The camp of Villar said his brother was taken to the Far Eastern University Hospital because the family could not afford to take him to a hospital for the rich. Aquino said he and his siblings, including youngest sister Kris, were all born in the Far Eastern University (FEU) Hospital where Villar's brother, Danny, was said to have been confined for 13 days because of leukemia in 1962. “And we were a well-to-do family,” Aquino said in a press conference. LP senatorial candidate Risa Hontiveros said Villar's false claim was “scandalous and an insult to the real poor in the country.” She challenged Villar to take the Lenten season as a occasion to “repent.” Aquino made the comment in reaction to charges it was the Liberal Party that was spreading the documents challenging Villar's claim that he was poor. “Those are squid tactics, he must answer the question squarely,” Aquino said. Senator Franklin Drilon also denied the accusation and said that the issue at hand is the authenticity of the documents, not the source. Meanwhile, Villar is demanding an apology from his critics who are challenging the veracity of his political ads. Villar dismissed as malicious the allegations that he lied about his poor beginnings. He admitted his brother was brought to the FEU Hospital, but was placed at the charity ward with the help of his father's cousin. - ABS
