BAGUIO CITY — Nacionalista Party (NP) standard bearer Sen. Manny Villar was mobbed by city folk here when he showed up at the Session Road less than an hour after the annual Panagbenga flower festival ended.

Villar was popular here especially to children who chanted his name as they sang Villar's infomercial jingle during a walk along Session Road, the main street in the heart of this city.

Villar lauded the organizers of the Panagbenga festival where scores of showbiz personalities participated. He said the festival should be improved, pledging to help make Baguio City a truly clean and green tourist destination, starting with the propagation of “e-jeeps” for the country’s summer capital.

“Baguio City has long been known as the Summer Capital of the Philippines. But I also understand that we have problems in the city. We have to address these problems like air pollution because we want to help Baguio City regain its prominence,” Villar said.

The Department of Tourism reported that arrivals to Baguio City in the first three quarters of 2009 hit 530,706, a drop of 12.65 percent over 2008.

“Tourism and environment go hand in hand. We have to clean the air in Baguio City because pollution is a deterrent to tourism which provides hundreds of jobs and livelihood opportunities in the city,” Villar said.

He said he would make available funding for the propagation of e-jeeps or electric jeeps through dedicated lending windows in the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) or the National Development Co. (NDC).

“E-jeeps can help cut down pollution levels in the city and make it a more attractive destination for local and foreign tourists. The local government unit can take the lead in securing the funding to establish fleets of e-jeeps but the national government under my leadership will commit the necessary resources for Baguio City,” Villar said.

In the short term, he said he would work for the extension of the government’s diesel engine replacement program to create fleets of public utility vehicles whose reduced emissions will meet pollution standards.

Although some candidates including Villar himself and Lakas-Kampi CMD candidate Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro and senatorial bets were here Monday in time for the popular flower festival, they only showed up after the festival was over to avoid being accused of campaigning, which is strictly prohibited in this particular event.