Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

PHILIPPINE Senator and presidential aspirant Manuel Villar recently graced a meeting with the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) entitled,  Presidentiables’ Series last Oct. 29, and answered all questions regarding his future plans in the coming 2010 election.

MOPC,  a non-stock, non-profit organization composed of news correspondents, professionals, entrepreneurs, government officials and community leaders; seek to promote free speech and press freedom. The organization also strives to promote social change and good government, propagation of democratic principles international understanding and national welfare , and the encouragement of educational activities and projects.

Q:  You’re new to your philanthropic work as a successful businessman, and so far you have given at least six houses and lots to distressed OFWs, which by now would probably run from more than a hundred thousand pesos.   Are you still within your cost estimate of P4 billion for your presidential campaign?

Villar: I think that’s way ahead of what I envisioned to spend in this campaign—way, way ahead.  You don’t have to spend that much to win and campaign.  But I gave the 6 houses, because I really think we should help the OFWs.  

For years, I have dreamed to build a nation where people will not have to leave the country to find jobs.  That, I think, should be the ultimate dream.  But right now we just have to help them to the best of our abilities to provide safety nets. 

We have 10 million OFWs and many of them are suffering.  The government has so far been unable to provide those safety nets.  We all must help so they can improve their lives.  It is really very unfortunate that they experience difficulties in their jobs.  We have to bring them back.

Q: Just to clarify Mr. Senator, what is a safety net?

Villar:  A safety net to me is that they should be able to go home—come home whenever they had to.  Especially in the Middle East, where we have a lot of Filipinos who wants to go home, experienced difficulties, are mistreated by their employers, not paid properly.  Some are even jailed and are abused.  And the government has so far unable help those people.  We should be able to help them.  

We must assume that for with so many Filipinos abroad, a certain percentage will have difficulties, a certain percentage will have problems.  We must assume that and the government must provide for that.  Every Filipino must be able to come back, whenever they experience such difficulties.

Q:  We failed to mention your activity last week, when you gave away capital to small entrepreneurs.  Corollary to this, all candidates are limited to election expenses under Comelec’s rules.  Will these philanthropic activities be included in the computation of election expenses?

Villar:   All of us should help our countrymen.  I’ve been helping entrepreneurs for about 20 years now and I will continue helping them until I die.  I fairly believe that for us to move forward we have to create an army of entrepreneurs.  

We have to change the mindset of our people—that we can be on our own, that we can succeed in business and that we do not have to be Chinese to succeed in business. 

So far Filipinos like to be employed.  We study so that we can be employed.  We were told by our parents to study hard so that one day you can land a job, and you tell your children the same, and our children will tell the same thing.  We have become in fact a nation of employees.  But we cannot move forward if we failed to change this mindset.  We can be on our own and this should be the new mindset now.  

We have to help the entrepreneurs, the small entrepreneurs.  The vendors in the market place, we have to help them succeed so that they can provide and they can be the inspiration to others. This way, those who are unemployed could try to be entrepreneurs.  And to me if we fail to change the mindset of our people about entrepreneurship, we really cannot push this country forward economically.