| 11 May 2010
By SOPHIA DEDACE of GMANews.tv
As the partial results of the May 10 polls continued to trickle in, Senator Manuel Villar Jr. on Tuesday congratulated his rival, Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, the Liberal Party's standard bearer who is leading the presidential race by a growing margin.
"Humaharap ako sa inyo ngayon upang tanggapin ang pasyang ito. Upang igalang ang boses ng sambayanang Pilipino. I congratulate Senator Noynoy Aquino on his victory. The challenges he and our country faces are enormous and we should all work together," he said, reading a prepared statement during a press conference in Mandaluyong City.
According to GMA Network's partial and unofficial tally as of 10:19 a.m. on Tuesday, Aquino remained at the top spot with 12,587,583 votes. Villar ranked third with 4,477,279 votes. Aquino and Villar were the fiercest contenders throughout the three-month presidential campaign.
The latest tally showed former president Joseph Estrada in second place with 7,749,597 votes.
Villar thanked his party mates at the Nacionalista Party and supporters who supported his presidential bid, and said he would continue working for the welfare of the poor.
"Bagama't ako ay hindi pinalad, ang aking pangarap na tapusin ang kahirapan ay hindi pa nagwawakas. Ito ay aking ipagpapatuloy bagama't sa ibang paraan," he said in a sober tone.
"Higit sa lahat, ang aking buong pusong pasasalamat sa mga volunteers at supporters na nagsipag at nagbigay ng hindi matatawarang tulong. Maraming maraming salamat sa inyo," Villar added.
Villar, the sole billionaire among the presidential bets, is said to be the biggest spender in presidential campaigns. On Tuesday, he expressed sadness about the allegations and negative propaganda that have hounded him throughout his campaign.
"Ako ay naniniwala na sa darating na mga araw ako ay mabibigyan ng pagkakataon na linisin ang aking pangalan upang maliwanaan ang ating mga kababayan. Yan ay mahalaga sa akin higit sa anupamang bagay," he said.
Villar smiled but declined to take questions from the reporters, leaving the Nacionalista Party headquarters immediately after the press briefing. — LBG/RSJ GMANews.TV
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