MANILA, Philippines?A day after his closest rival for the presidency capitalized on an unexpected ?endorsement? coming from his own nephew, Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III said he had advised his celebrity sister Kris Aquino to stop bringing her son along on the campaign trail.

Nacionalista Party candidate Sen. Manuel Villar had openly relished the now-popular story of how the toddler blurted out ?Villar!? on the microphone onstage during a recent LP sortie in Bacolod City.

An elated Villar on Tuesday said at a press conference: ?I?m happy, and it?s a huge honor for me to be liked by children because it?s the children who are the most honest (persons).?

Aquino Wednesday maintained he was just worried that 2-year-old Baby James Yap might end up getting hurt during the sorties.

?He?s so huggable and kurutable (people like to pinch him),? Aquino told reporters covering his campaign in Pampanga province.

?He might get hurt and say ?Ow!? and then pinch back,? he said of Baby James in Filipino.

Kris? apology

Baby James is Kris? son with basketball superstar James Yap. His innocent pitch for his uncle?s closest rival in the May presidential elections was captured on camera and the video had since spread on the Internet.

Aquino Wednesday said Kris had apologized to him and that he had assured her that a boy of Baby James? age should not be blamed.

Aquino said he could not believe how Villar could stoop so low and exploit something blurted out by a child.

Addressing crowds in Mabalacat, Pampanga, Aquino said Baby James was just being ?normally playful? that day in Bacolod.

And in a remark that drew chuckles and applause from the audience, Aquino lashed back at Villar: ?Maybe he (Baby James) seldom hears people say that name, so he thought of saying it himself.?

?Are the supporters of my rival so few that they need to claim the word of a 2-year-old as an endorsement?? the LP candidate added.

Spare the child

A party-list group espousing children?s rights and welfare appealed to the public to stop ?ridiculing? Baby James, saying kids should be spared from political innuendos.

Akap-Bata directed the call particularly at people who poked fun at Aquino?s nephew on the Web. It noted that blogs and social networking sites have since feasted on videos tagging Baby James as a ?Secret Supporter of Villar? or doctored photos showing the boy holding up a placard that reads ?I Love Villar.?

?He is still innocent. On the Internet, all these people are doing these things and he needs to be protected from that. It?s just too much,? said Dr. Joy Alcantara, the group?s first nominee.

?What worries us the most are the possible immediate and long-term effects of this incident on Baby James. We are appealing to those playing up this issue and ridiculing Baby James to please leave him alone and respect his innocence and childhood,? Alcantara said.

But the group said it found nothing wrong with children being brought to political gatherings and activities.

Akap-Bata?s TV ad had adopted Villar?s ?Dagat ng Basura,? a campaign jingle sung by children. The group denied receiving funds from the billionaire candidate.

Gimmicky, exploitation

Another presidential candidate said both the Villar and Aquino camps should stop using children in their campaigns.

Having children in infomercials or even bringing them to sorties is not only a ?monstrous gimmickry? but also a ?form of exploitation? punishable under the law against child abuse, Ang Kapatiran Party standard-bearer John Carlos ?JC? de los Reyes told the Inquirer.

?For the sake of delicadeza and propriety, they should keep kids off the campaign,? De los Reyes said. ?(Baby James?) blurting out of Villar?s name was indicative of how vulnerable the minds of our young people are to infomercials.?

De los Reyes said he had never asked his own children?Gabriel, Santiago and Barbara?to join his sorties or ?endorse? their father when they meet other people. With reports from Jerome Aning, Alcuin Papa and Jonas Cabiles Soltes, Inquirer Southern Luzon