MANILA, Philippines??Is it difficult to think that a poor fellow can also become President of the Philippines??

With that statement, Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Manuel Villar Monday hit back at his rivals in the presidential race for castigating him over his costly campaign advertisements.

Asked by a panelist during the Philippine Daily Inquirer-sponsored presidential debate about the identity of his donors, Villar said that compared to the other candidates, he was getting it out of his pocket.

?I am spending my own money,? Villar said, stressing it was crucial to ask not only how much a candidate was spending on ads, but who were the financiers.

?We might be electing them (the donors) as president, not the one facing you (in the election),? he said, triggering applause.

The self-styled billionaire, who built his real estate empire from scratch, said that spending on campaign ads was his only way to catch up with the others.

Alluding to his closest rival, Sen. Benigno Aquino III, standard-bearer of Liberal Party, Villar said:

?I am not an actor. I don?t have a mother who was President. No sibling who?s an actress. It is imperative that people like me, who were once poor, is given a chance to level the playing field,? he said to the delight of his supporters in the crowd.

Aquino is the only son of the late President Corazon Aquino and one of his sisters is the famous actress and TV host Kris Aquino.

Villar discussed his economic policy, but declined to name the composition of his economic team, for now.

Instead of harping on new taxes, Villar said he was looking at ?quickly? bringing up tax collection efficiency from the current 13-14 percent to 17 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to fund the planned massive infrastructure spending right at the first year alone.

?It is very important for the next President to be able to manage this nation squarely from Day 1. We must be able to start and hit the ground running. The nation faces too many problems (which) should be addressed all at the same time,? he said.