Villar bids farewell to Senate but not quitting politics

MANILA, Philippines - Outgoing Senator Manny Villar has said goodbye to the Senate but hinted that he will remain active in politics.

 

Villar is set to officially end next month his second full term in the Senate, which will hold its last session day on Thursday.

 

"I hesitate to call this a farewell speech because I know that the fight against poverty continues... This is not a retirement from politics as some have suggested. Because, really, can one retire from politics?" the veteran lawmaker said in his speech.

 

Villar first entered politics in 1992 after he won a seat as Las Piñas representative to the Lower House, where he served for nine years.

 

He was first elected in the Senate in 2001 and was re-elected in 2007.

 

"I stand here today both proud and humbled. Proud because in my more than two decades of public service I can confidently proclaim that I have exerted all efforts toward this ideal: that the life path I took from poverty to progress may be experienced by our countrymen too," he said.

 

The outgoing senator also ran in the 2010 presidential elections but lost,  placing third in the polls.

 

Villar said he is leaving the Congress with 122 measures and 59 resolutions.

 

"I am fortunate to have been part in the enactment of laws that reflect a government that stands for the Filipinos.  In my office’s tally of records and as reflected in the various dossiers of the Senate - a substantial number of 122 laws including treaties are authored, co-authored, initially filed, shepherded and sponsored mainly by this representation," he said.

 

He also thanked his fellow members of the Senate who he said has gone through the "best of times and the worst of times." 

 

"We have battled against each other; we debated issues; and, we stood united amidst challenges but I am most grateful for the friendship," said Villar.

 

While he is returning to the life outside the Congress, Villar said he will continue to work for the people.

 

And despite his exit from the Senate, his wife, Cynthia, is set to replace him in the Upper House after winning in the mid-term elections last month.