THE Liberal Party on Thursday slammed the so-called “Dream Team” of presidential candidate Jejomar Binay, saying the reports that Virgilio Garcillano was acting as a consultant to the vice president was already a cause for concern.
“Dream team na ‘yang grupo na ‘yan,” LP spokesman Barry Gutierrez said in response to the reports that Garcillano, the former elections commissioner, was seen in the same hotel that Vice President Jejomar Binay had stayed in for the first presidential debate in Cagayan de Oro.
“May expert ka na sa corruption, may expert ka pa sa pandaraya di ba? Nakakatakot talaga ‘yun.”
In Lapu-Lapu City, LP standard bearer Manuel Roxas II expressed confidence he and the party’s other candidates would garner enough votes in the provinces, including in Cebu and Bohol, to win the elections.
He dismissed the influence of the political dynasties in the vote-rich province of Cebu, saying what he only needed was the support of the Filipino people.
“The campaign for Mar, Leni and Daang Matuwid, will start in the local. We have a lot of allies,” Roxas said.
He belittled the reports that several of their allies had been transferring their support to UNA and other parties.
When reporters asked what Garcillano’s business in the hotel was, Gutierrez said he was there as a “consultant” but declined to say for whom.
He said the LP had received reports confirming that Binay was, indeed, Garcillano’s client.
“Mister Garcillano, his reputation precedes him. His reputation of being one of the architects of one of the most massive cases of electoral cheating in our history,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez was referring to the electoral scandal in the 2004 elections, dubbed as the “Hello Garci” scandals, when Garcillano was accused of conspiring with then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to rig the elections in her favor. Garcillano was indicted for the crime but the case was closed in 2014.
Gutierrez called on the public to be vigilant to ensure the integrity of this year’s elections.