Flub or foreshadowing? Marcos skips mention of Camille Villar in Batangas sortie 

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In flexing the experience of his bets in the House, President Marcos seems to forget the one candidate who's been absent from many of the slate's sorties

The administration’s Alyansa para sa Bagong PIlipinas’ Batangas sortie was unfolding like clockwork on Saturday, May 3 — that is, until the very end when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. curiously did not mention (or endorse) Deputy House Speaker Camille Villar during his usual stump speech at the Batangas City Sports Coliseum. 

In his speech, Marcos usually introduces his bets by highlighting their previous experience in governor, be it in the Senate, House, local government, or in his Cabinet.  

“Kalahati naman sa ating slate ay dumaan po sa mababang kapulungan, sa House of Representatives, naging congressman po (Half of those in our slate served in the lower house, in the House of Representatives, they’ve been legislators),” said Marcos who, once upon a time, represented the 2nd district of his home province Ilocos Norte. 

His narration in vote-rich Batangas went as follows: “Nandiyan, Congressman Abalos. ‘Yung aking seatmate po sa Kongreso, si Congressman Binay. Ikaw kasi tinitingnan ko eh. Congressman Binay na seatmate ko po noong kami’y nasa Kongreso. Si Congressman Abalos, dumaan din po sa mababang kapulungan. Congressman Cayetano po. Si Congressman Pia Cayetano po na dumaan po din sa Kongreso ‘yan. Alam naman ninyo ‘yung idol natin, si Congressman Pacquiao, Senator Pacquiao pero congressman din po ‘yan siya nagsimula. Congressman Tulfo. At wala na po rito ‘yung masasabi mong bagito po sa pagsusulat ng batas. Alam na po nila ang trabaho po nila.”

(There’s Congressman [Benhur Abalos]. My seatmate in Congress, Congressman [Abby] Binay… she was my seatmate in Congress. Congressman Abalos also served in Congress. There’s Congressman Pia Cayetano who also served in Congress. Of course our idol. Congressman [Manny] Pacquiao, Senator Pacquiao, but he first served as congressman. There’s Congressman [Erwin] Tulfo. Nobody here is new to writing laws. They know what they are supposed to do.) 

Missing from that part of the speech? Camille Villar, scion of the powerful Villar clan, two-term Las Piñas representative, Deputy House Speaker and…perennial absentee in Alyansa’s campaign sorties.

Maybe the President skipped her because she was on stage?

But Marcos clearly didn’t forget Cayetano, who had spoken early in the program but slipped out and seemingly left the venue before the President spoke on stage. 

So, was the snub deliberate and a sign of things to come? Malacañang hasn’t responded to media queries.

Villar’s name and image were still part of Alyansa’s campaign paraphernalia in Batangas, as it had been in Quezon the day before and Pangasinan the week prior. In Lucena City, Quezon, Marcos had mentioned and endorsed Camille Villar, as he usually does — even if she wasn’t there.

Because here’s the thing: Villar has skipped the three Alyansa sorties that took place after she nabbed the endorsement of Marcos’ ally-turned-political-nemesis Vice President Sara Duterte. 

While these things could be chalked up to an honest mistake, the last time the President skipped mention of a candidate, Alyansa ended up on the other side with one less bet. 

In late March, during a sortie in vote-rich Cavite, Marcos skipped any mention of his own sister, reelectionist Senator Imee Marcos after his manang deliberately skipped Alyansa events in protest of the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte. A day after, in vote-rich Laguna, Marcos then urged the crowd to support 11, and not 12, Senate bets. 

Days later, Alyansa would acknowledge and accept Senator Marcos’ decision to stop joining their sorties. Her image and name were subsequently dropped from the coalition’s promotional materials. 

Again and again — and again — rumors have been rife over a possible Villar (and Nacionalista Party?) exit from Alyansa.

Again and again, Alyansa campaign manager Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco denied such talk. He has insisted that Villar remains in the party even after an endorsement from Vice President Duterte and even after Marcos himself ordered a probe into the Villar-owned PrimeWater after years of complaints from customers all over the country about its poor service. 

What is a mistake? A Freudian slip? Marcos and the slate are set to appear in at least three more sorties in the last week of the campaign period. Will Camille Villar finally show up again, or will she fall sick once more, or simply forget, too? 

By the end of the campaign period, will “Alyansa all the way” apply to only 10 candidates after all? – Rappler.com