MANILA, Philippines?Bad news for Manuel Villar. It seems Villar-bashing will be a staple fare in the campaign sorties of independent presidential bet and senator Maria Ana Consuelo ?Jamby? Madrigal, one of the staunchest critics of the Nacionalista Party standard-bearer.

Unflinching at her anti-Villar crusade, Madrigal warned on Wednesday that ?voting for Villar means electing (Villar's legislator-wife) Cynthia? whom she called the ?brains and the brawn behind Mr. Villar.?

?So it will be Mrs. Villar who will run the country...This will not only be a conjugal dictatorship. If you're electing Manny Villar, you're actually electing Cynthia Villar to the post,? she said. That is why, ?the Filipino people should be vigilant not to allow this dangerous man become president.?

Earlier, Madrigal called Villar ?corrupt? and an ?evil candidate.?

She has repeatedly blasted him for his role in the C-5 road extension project controversy, his expensive advertisements, as well as his alleged ?secret alliance? with the Arroyo administration. According to Madrigal, a Villar presidency would be ?7 x 7 x 7 worse? than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's.

?He has already promised to make (Arroyo) speaker. Desperate moves for desperate people, but don't forget desperate people are dangerous,? she noted.

?Can you imagine if you have Villar as president, Arroyo as speaker of the House and through his immense wealth he's able to buy the Senate. Then don't forget who will be Senate president. It's Allan Peter Cayetano who has been promised the Senate presidency. It's going to be an unsavory government.?

Madrigal claimed the Villar-Arroyo-Cayetano tandem ?will be like putting leeches to the belly of a big, fat pig.?

?Villar at the head, Gloria Arroyo at the tail and all the other leeches sucking through the guts of this pig until its blood is gone. Payat na nga ang Pilipinas papapayatin pa (The Philippines is already frail, but they intend to make it even thinner),? she said.

When interviewed, Madrigal insisted that Arroyo and the Villars ?met in Syria sometime in early 2009 during one of her official trips (to the Middle East)? to talk about their game plan for the 2010 elections.

?That we had intelligence,? the senator said. According to Madrigal, ?Manny Villar is definitely the secret candidate of GMA in my view and all the political analysts who know.? ?I pity (administration presidential candidate Gilberto ?Gibo? Teodoro Jr.) because I believe he's being used as a decoy of Malacañang,? she said.

She said Ms Arroyo could not afford to have "a clean and honest person" as the next president because "she will surely be prosecuted." ?She needs someone like Manny Villar to cover up and exonerate her of the plunder because he may do the same,? Madrigal explained.

According to Madrigal, Villar still greeted her everytime they met even if she had filed the ethics case against him over his alleged vested interests in the C-5 road project. But Madrigal noticed that after she trained her verbal guns on him during the UP-Inquirer debate last Monday, "I don't think vinegar is strong enough a word to describe his face.?

?It was really bad,? she observed. Madrigal and fellow Sen. Richard ?Dick? Gordon apparently enjoyed being the debate's hecklers, and the crowd applauded when they sniped at Villar.

?You know, Dick and I, we have been given by God the ability to articulate our ideas. Unfortunately, I wonder how Villar can run for president when he can't express anything that is not memorized. He needs cue cards,? she said.

Madrigal asked: ?How can you have a president who can't have an opinion except that which is fed to him? Kung hindi binulong ni Misis, walang ibubuga si Mister (If the wife did not whisper it, Mr. Villar would even think of saying it.) Last Monday, twice daw nagpasa ng note si Camille Villar (the senator?s daughter) sa father niya kasi sumasama 'yung debate. Paano kang boboto ng presidenteng ganyan? (Camille Villar twice passed a note to her father because the debate was going badly for him. How can you vote for somebody like that to the presidency?)?

On Wednesday, Madrigal defended herself from her own gaffe of not knowing the exact price of galunggong (a native fish) in the market, saying the other candidates did not know the price as well. She said that right after the UP debate, she ?asked the other candidates and none of them knew the price of galunggong.?

?Not even (environmentalist Nicanor) ?Nick? Perlas...In fairness, Sen. Gordon told me that it was a foul question. He said we should all have been asked the same question. For that, I really respect him,? she said.

Madrigal joked the question ?could have been sent by one of Villar's staff. Considering naghakot siya ng 60 (supporters) at the debate (He hauled in 60 supporters to the debate).?

?We were only allowed 20 people and he made ?hakot? 60 people,? she added.