Villar’s ace: Willie Revillame

By NITA BAUTISTA

DASMARINAS, Cavite.—Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar has found a tireless and winning campaigner in Willie Revillame, the popular television host of “Wowowee.”

On Sunday evening, exactly 75 days before Christmas, Revillame and Villar produced “Namamasko po sa Dasmarinas,” a show that brought cheer and excitement to Cavite residents.

The show, which mimicked the popular noontime show and entertained the audience with songs and dance numbers, had all the trimmings of an election campaign. Banners and tarpaulins with the name Villar were all over the venue, the Dasmarinas National High School stadium. The crowd waved flaglets and fans with the senator’s name and picture.

The official campaign period will start in February.

Villar, head and the standard-bearer of the Nacionalista Party, was introduced during the show as the “next president of the Philippines.” Revillame had been rumored to be the senator’s running mate, but both he and Villar denied this.

During the show, Revillame defined his role in next year’s elections: “Iboboto nyo ba ako?…Wag na lang at ako na lang ang tulay nyo kay Sen. Manny Villar (Will you vote for me? Don’t. I’d rather be your bridge to Sen. Manny Villar).”

In his popular noontime show on Saturday, Revillame had announced that a house and lot would be given away in the Sunday event, courtesy of the “man in orange.” Residents said people started to make a beeline for the school stadium at 10 p.m. on Saturday.

But the awarding of the house and lot was canceled as the crowd became unruly. People started to push and shove to get the chance to be among the 30 contestants in a contest for the grand prize.

“Ang totoo niyan, may regalo siya sa inyong house and lot sa kung sinuman ang mananalo. Kaya lang I don’t think na makukuha natin yun dahil ho ang hirap hong pumunta rito. Marami nang hinihimatay. Hindi ba napakahirap? Mag-iisip tayo kung anong dapat nating gawin (He really is going to give away a house and lot to whoever will win. But I don’t think we can proceed with it because it’s difficult to get here. Many have fainted. Let’s think instead of what we should do),” said Revillame.

“Ayaw namin ng ano may masaktan (We don’t want anyone hurt),” he added.

The crowd at the Sunday night show was estimated at 50,000. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, quoting aides of Villar, said 100,000 people were there.

The Cavite crowd was bigger than the 30,000 people who had gathered outside the Ultra stadium in Pasig City in February 2006 to celebrate Wowowee’s first anniversary.

That anniversary celebration ended in a stampede that killed 78 and injured about 400 people. The mad dash for the entrance of the stadium happened as show organizers started to give out tickets to the crowd. Most of the victims in the stampede were poor and jobless. Prizes for the games included jeepneys, taxis and P1 million in cash.

Organizers of the Villar-Revillame Sunday show appeared prepared for the big crowd. There were policemen, fire trucks, ambulances and even Red Cross personnel at the stadium.

A section near the stage was reserved for children, while an area at the other end of the stage was dedicated to senior citizens. The fit and healthy were assigned the middle section of the stadium. A bleachers section was also reserved for the elderly. Metal railings separated the crowd.

At one point, Revillame went down the stage to approach an elderly but quickly went back to the stage when it looked like he was about to get mobbed.

But there was no way to stop the pushing and shoving. It did not help that the stadium ground was wet and muddy. Many in the audience slid. Shoes and slippers were all over. The area designated for first aid treatment was nearly packed as people in stretchers were brought in during the show.

But most of the crowd seemed oblivious of what was happening near the stage. They cheered and clapped. The show went on even as Revillame, who was wearing an orange jacket over an orange shirt that was drenched with sweat, called the attention of the unruly crowd.

Revillame continued with the games and at one point had a wad of 500-peso bills that he distributed to senior citizens among the audience. He said he had asked Villar for the money. The Wowowee host and the senator also gave away jackets to the cheering crowd.

In a short speech after he was introduced by Revillame as the man he trusts, Villar told the crowd that he was most honored to be bringing joy despite his busy schedule that included distributing relief to typhoon victims.

“Galing po kami sa Pangasinan, sa La Union, sa iba-iba pong lugar. Araw-araw po yan, dalawang linggo na po kami, walang tigil po. Subalit kahit po papaano na tumutulong po tayo diyan, naisip po namin ni Willie na mahalaga din naman na makapagbigay din tayo ng kasiyahan sa iba nating mga kababayan (We went to Pangasinan, La Union and other places—every day, for the past two weeks. But as we help the typhoon victims, Willie and I believe it’s important to also spread cheer to our other countrymen),” Villar said.

He added, “At ito nga po napag-usapan namin na sa Cavite ang unang gawin po dahilan sa ito pong Cavite talagang malapit po sa aking puso. Taga Las Pinas lamang ako kaya ako’y parang taga-Cavite na rin! Lalong lalo na po, mahal na mahal ko po mga taga-Cavite, lalong lalo na po yung mga mahihirap (We thought of doing this in Cavite first because Cavite is close to my heart. I’m from Las Pinas so I feel like I’m from Cavite, too. I love the residents of Cavite, especially the poor).”

Revillame said he and Villar would continue to go around the country to bring cheer to people. The Dasmarinas gig was the third event team-up for Villar and Revillame after similar appearances in Davao and Cagayan de Oro cities.

The Wowowee host stressed that he and Villar were not in Cavite to campaign.

“Ako ang nagbigay ng idea kay senator na sana umikot tayo. At ang sabi niya, ‘Anytime. Mismo, Willie, ngayon mismo magbigay tayo ng saya at tulong sa ating mga kababayan (I was the one who suggested to the senator that we visit different places. And he replied, ‘Anytime, Willie. In fact, let’s do it right now so we could help and cheer up the people),’” said Revillame who raised his hand in the air with his thumb and pointer finger making a “V” sign, Villar’s campaign hand signal.

The TV host did not skip a beat in promoting Villar: “Kung mahal niyo ako, mahal ko si senator. Isa lang ang dapat nating pagkatiwalaan: Sen. Manny Villar! Palakpakan niyo (If you love me, I love the senator. There is only one person we should trust: Sen. Manny Villar. Let’s applaud him)!”

The pitches for Villar’s presidential bid were at times too blatant. Telling the crowd to listen while he was standing side by side with the senator, Revillame said, “Di ba mahal niyo ako?…Mahal na mahal ko kayong lahat. Kung sino yung mahal ko, yun ang susuportahan niyo, di ba (You love me, don’t you?… I love all of you very much. You will support the one I love, won’t you)?”

The crowd went wild. It was their response every time Revillame gyrated or said seomthing. Singer Rico Puno, who was a guest in the show, was so impressed with what he witnessed he compared the Wowowee host to the statue of Christ.

“Para kang Poon, mahal na mahal ka ng tao (You’re like the Lord. The people love you),” said Puno, who was also in an orange shirt.

But Puno refrained from endorsing Villar and even joked that the senator could partner with Mayor Jejomar Binay of Makati, where the singer once served as a councilor.