MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Manny Villar admitted Tuesday that he did not know Sen. Loren Legarda very well before he invited her to be his running mate for the 2010 election.

In an interview, Villar was asked to comment on a leaked US embassy cable that said he had a low regard for Legarda but accepted her as his vice-presidential bet because many Filipino voters thought she was pretty.

"Sa simula naman talaga hindi ko pa masyadong kilala si Loren. Pero noong nagkakampanya na kami, doon ko nakita ang galing niya at nakita nyo naman na sa simula hanggang pagkatapos ng kampanya, kami ang magkasama. Nangangahulugan lamang iyan na malaki ang pagtitiwala at paghanga ko kay Senator Loren," he said.

He added: "But you have to understand, when we started, hindi naman kami ganoon ka-close."

Villar did not say if the leaked cable, which was allegedly authored by former US Ambassador Kristie Kenney and published by whistleblower group WikiLeaks, was authentic.

Asked if the leaked cables should be carefully scrutinized, he said: "Wala naman tayong magagawa diyan. Kanya-kanyang paniniwala naman iyan. Iyon ang opinion nila."

In the cable, Kenney said Villar had criticized his opponents as "inexperienced, beholden to hidden campaign financiers, or simply phony."

She said Villar expressed admiration for the Liberal Party campaign of Benigno Aquino III and Manuel Roxas, which had ridden on the outpouring of support for Aquino after the death of his  mother.

The Nacionalista Party standard-bearer allegedly dismissed Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero as a possible running mate because "his staff did not gel with [him]." He also turned Vice-President Noli de Castro "because [his] association with President Arroyo would be detrimental."

"That left Senator Loren Legarda, whom he did not hold in terribly high regard and whose signature issue -- the environment -- did not really resonate with voters, but whom many Filipinos consider 'pretty' so Villar thought he could 'learn to live with her' as a running mate," the confidential cable revealed.

Villar officially announced his tandem with Legarda on Nov. 17, 2009, more than 2 weeks after his alleged meeting with Kenney.

Villar and Legarda both lost in the May 2010 elections, which were won by President Benigno Aquino III and Vice-President Jejomar Binay.