Nacionalista Party senatorial candidates Wednesday appealed to other political camps to stop propagating lies and character assassination against their standard bearer, Sen. Manuel Villar Jr.

Rep. Liza Maza said she finds ridiculous the speculation, spin and black propaganda allegedly peddled by Villar’s political rivals, accusing him of links with the administration. Maza said it was Villar who made it possible for her and Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo to run alongside Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Marcos whose father’s regime is associated with alleged human rights violations.

Maza, Marcos and Ocampo consider themselves staunch oppositionist and critic of the Arroyo administration. Lawyer Gwendolyn Pimentel, daughter of Sen. Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. who is also running under the NP senatorial slate, said the black propaganda against Villar shows the lack of commitment to the interests of the people for our candidates for public office to spread false and black propaganda against their rivals while neglecting the real issues.

She deplored how detractors could go beyond their means to “flood falsehoods, verbal filth, prevarications and lies” through Internet and cell phones against certain candidates, particularly Villar. “It is disrespect for the electorate to feed them with lies and black propaganda instead of telling them what we would do once we are elected to public office,” she said. Maza emphasized Villar is the only opposition candidate with a serious platform geared toward genuine reform.