Rep. Villar drops out of Senate run, will seek re-election instead

Rep. Mark Villar. RODEL ROTONI

Despite getting into the “Magic 12” in the latest surveys, Las Pinas Rep. Mark Villar on Thursday said he would not run for a Senate seat and would seek re-election instead in the 2016 polls.

In a statement, Villar said he was humbled by the support, but there remains much to be done in Las Pinas, the turf of the Villar family.

“We’re sincerely grateful on the outpouring of support from the Filipino people who think that I could better serve them as senator as shown by the surveys. While I have not formally declared a Senate bid, I remain flattered by the encouraging polling numbers,” Villar said.

Rep. Villar got into the Magic 12 in the latest Pulse Asia survey on the most preferred senator bets, placing 11th with a 35.8 percent rating.

“But after consultation with my constituents, supporters and family, we’ve come to the conclusion that there is still much to be done in Las Piñas and in the House of Representatives. I am running for re-election as representative of the Lone District of Las Piñas in May 2016,” Villar added.

This means there won’t be a family affair in the Senate. Had Villar run for Senate and won, he would share his stint with his mother, incumbent Senator Cynthia Villar, who won in 2013 and whose term would end in 2019.

Rep. Villar from the Nacionalista Party (NP) was considered to be included in the senatorial slate of Mar Roxas under the Liberal Party (LP) and of independent candidate Grace Poe. The NP aligned with the LP in the 2013 midterm elections.

Rep. Villar even had a political advertisement on television featuring his father former Sen. Manny Villar, who lost the presidential race in 2010.

The Villar father and son tandem used a political jingle similar to that of the Villar patriarch’s 2010 presidential bid ad, which featured children living in the slums.

While the 2010 presidential jingle started off with street children singing “Nakalangoy ka na ba sa dagat ng basura? (Have you ever swam in a sea of garbage?)” Rep. Villar’s political advertisement goes with children singing: “Parating na parating na ang aming pag-asa… Kaming mahihirap ay bida sa kanya. Kinabukasan gaganda na. (Our hope is coming… We poor people are the priority for him. The future will become better.)”