MANILA, Philippines ? (UPDATE) Where were you when push came to shove?

Sen. Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III on Sunday came out swinging against his detractors, particularly Sen. Manuel Villar, for questioning his capacity to implement reforms in the country, saying Villar did not even take the lead in questioning the Arroyo administration in the two major scandals that rocked it: the National Broadband Network-ZTE scam and the "Hello Garci" poll rigging scandal.

?When push came to shove, where were you? What have you done? He says hindi siya mapang-away na tao (he?s not a person, who easily takes up fights) but when you see the abuses in the system, does it not make you want to stand up and say enough is enough?? Aquino said in an interview.

?Aren?t you supposed to lead by example and not just leave it to your colleagues?? he said.

Aquino noted that Villar would always refer to his allies, NP spokesperson and senatorial bet Gilbert Remulla, who was at the forefront during the Hello Garci scandal and NP Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who kept on hammering on the ZTE scam.

?I?m saying this in the context of his statement that he is not a person, who easily picks up fights. But if you see something wrong, aren?t you supposed to do something about it? Why claim what the others did?? Aquino said, ?How can we be sure that when you?re the one already in the leadership position, you?ll also do what your colleagues did??

Aquino was reacting to Villar, who questioned his ability to implement real reforms during a presidential debate Saturday.

?When I hear them say this, I say ?Are you talking about me or are you talking about yourself?? he said, adding that ?This is a good thing?to have face to face debates para derechohan na (so that we can go head on),? he said.

?After all the sound bites, what?s important is what you have done? I?ve followed through on all my commitments. I can (implement reforms). I will. I have to.?

Aquino said he even lost his position as House Deputy Speaker when he took the Arroyo administration to task for the Hello Garci scandal.

?I did not want that position because I would not be able to participate in the debates. It was my colleagues who wanted me to take it. But when Hello Garci came, I lost that position,? he said.

?When you see that there is oppression and you do nothing, you are in effect also supporting that oppressive system,? he further said.

When reached for comment, Remulla threw back the question at Aquino, saying that the Liberal Party standard bearer was ?never in the forefront? in the failed efforts to impeach President Macapagal-Arroyo over the Hello Garci scandal.

?The question is where was he? Even in the impeachment, he was never in the forefront. He could not even get his Liberal Party, as a leader in the House, to unite to vote to impeach (Ms Arroyo),? Remulla said.

?In terms of achievement, where was he? Senator Villar was in the background giving all out support to us. Even (Las Pinas Representative) Cynthia Villar (the senator?s wife) was supporting,? he added.

During the jueteng scandal, Remulla said Sen. Villar chaired the hearings that produced Sandra Cam and other witnesses against the Arroyo administration.

?Senator Aquino should be careful about what he says because his record is not exemplary at all,? Remulla added.

But Aquino boasted his experience in the private sector, saying he was a member of the team that helped make a sports brand become popular in the country in the mid 1980s. He said he also helped implement reforms in the sugarcane production in his family?s Hacienda Luisita.

But more importantly, he said, he had been keen on his role as a fiscalizer during his stint as congressman and senator.

Aquino said he tried to reform the Armed Forces of the Philippines? procurement process, particularly in its oil supply, by requiring public bidding. He also tried, he said, to have a select oversight committee formed in Congress to determine if the millions of pesos in unaccounted for intelligence funds of government agencies were spent for their intended purposes.

?You can ask the secretariat. During the budget deliberations, it was I and (Sen. Aquilino) Nene (Pimentel Jr.), who really questioned these agencies,? Aquino said, ?The others, can they say the same thing? Were they even present? The others even sent their votes through mail while I logged on a lot of hours during the deliberations??

Aquino said he was confident that he would be able to successfully implement real change in the country should he win the presidency because he also expected his base of supporters to take his would-be administration to task should it fail to deliver on its promises.

?They will help not just in the campaign and during election day. They will be there to monitor if we have delivered on our promises. They will check our promises versus performance and correct those who backslide,? he said.