NP admits losing supporters due to attacks vs Villar

The Nacionalista Party on Thursday admitted that the attacks and issues hurled against its standard bearer Senator Manuel Villar Jr. have lost them supporters as shown in the latest Pulse Asia survey (See: Erap tied with Villar in new Pulse Asia survey) NP spokesperson and senatorial bet Gilbert Remulla said their voters “have shifted to the undecided." The recent survey showed that Villar’s overall ratings dropped by five percentage points. He was tied with Estrada, whose voting preference picked up by two percentage points, at the top two with 20 percentage points each. Remulla said they are doing all they can to win their voters back. “The past few weeks we have seen intensified black propaganda and vicious attacks from both the Erap and Aquino camps," he said in a text message, referring to former President Joseph “Erap" Estrada of Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino and Senator Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III of Liberal Party. Villar’s critics had questioned the validity of his “poor origins" claim. The senator was also accused of using his influence and pressuring Philippine Stock Exchange officials to advance his business interests. Remulla added that Pulse Asia surveys have never been kind to Villar, “from what we believe is due to its ownership structure." He did not elaborate. Despite this, the NP spokesperson expressed optimism that there is still enough time for them to bounce back to “manageable levels." “We believe there is enough time in the remaining days of the campaign for this. Once that is done, it will be back to manageable levels and our party machinery will see us thru to victory," he said.—JV, GMANews.TV