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Nacionalista Party (NP) presidential bet, Senator Manny Villar, now also has a running mate. Teaming up with Villar to run as vice president is no other than Senator Loren Legarda of the Nacionalist People’s Coalition (NPC). The team-up of the two senators was officially announced last Monday at the historic Laurel House in Mandaluyong City.

“Today, I can face the Filipino people and say that my choice for vice president was not motivated by political accommodation but by a common vision for the country,” Villar said, as he formally introduced Legarda as a candidate who will work for the poor and the environment.

The announcement of  finally ended months of speculations over Villar’s  running mate.

But there will be no merger between the NP and NPC, Legarda said. Her teaming up with Villar doesn’t mean that would be abandoning the NPC either. Theirs is nothing more than a shared platform for the election. Legarda said she would still remain in the NPC but would support Villar and the NP since they share the same platform of governance.

She added that she received the blessing of NPC leaders to choose a presidential candidate after their leading candidate, Senator Francis Escudero, abandoned the party. NPC founder Eduardo ‘Danding” Cojuangco Jr. also was said to allow Legarda to find a good and credible presidential candidate to support.

“We share the same vision of a nation where there is lasting peaces and sustained Manny Villar and the Nacionalista Party because I believe our partnership will ensure a new beginning a better future for all Filipinos,” Legarda said.

Villar calls their tandem a “convergence of platforms,” and said his decision to choose Legarda was brought by a common vision to eradicate poverty in the country. He added that Legarda practices a new kind of politics and leadership. He also praised the lady senator for being a staunch defender of the environment.