MANILA, Philippines?Amid the maelstrom of ethics charges and political conflicts buffeting her running mate, Sen. Loren Legarda said she continues to stand by Sen. Manuel Villar.

?Walang iwanan (nobody left behind),? Legarda, the vice presidential candidate of Villar?s Nacionalista Party, told the Kapihan sa Senado forum Thursday.

But Legarda, who celebrated her 50th birthday Thursday, said Villar was the best person to answer the charges against him in connection with the controversial C-5 road extension project.

?I will not speak for my president. I cannot speak for him because we don?t talk about negativity. We talk about our plans, we talk about what he will do when he is president, we talk about our plans for the campaign, but surprisingly we don?t dwell on negative politics,? she said.

When asked why she didn?t defend him during the heated proceedings last Monday, Legarda said Villar had left it to the senator-lawyers in his camp to defend him.

?I already made my justification and defense,? she said, repeating Villar?s oft-repeated statement that he had exhaustively answered the charges outside the Senate.

?The issues have been answered. Clearly, there was no factual evidence to point to any wrongdoing,? said Legarda.

When the senators finally vote next week on the committee report, Legarda said, ?I expect a conscious vote from everybody. I expect the vote will be based on the truth and factual evidence, not based on politics.?

Legarda decided to run with Villar after her party?s presumed presidential candidate, Sen. Francis Escudero, resigned from the Nationalist People?s Coalition.

Legarda has nothing but praise for Villar, saying ?my president is not demanding at all. He is a very kind broad-minded person.?

She also did not see that Villar?s current troubles have affected their campaign.

?I would just like to look at it as part of life, as part of our struggle in life, as part of democracy,? she said.

She said her humanitarian campaign and environmental crusade were ?my kind of politics and that is what I love.?

Legarda has been province-hopping in her role as the United Nations ?champion? for disaster risk reduction.

Since the beginning of the year, she has gone to Cebu, Davao and Iloilo, and will be in Camarines Sur today.

?I continue to go around the country, I continue to give away projects, I continue to keep jobs fair,? she said. With a report from Alycia Gawthorne