MANILA, Philippines - The Liberal Party (LP), which is endorsing the presidential bid of Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, is being plagued by a “virus of distrust,” Nacionalista Party (NP) senatorial bet Adel Tamano said Tuesday.

Tamano’s assessment was based on reports that Aquino has ordered the centralization of his campaign funds and appointment of his sisters and former trade secretary Cesar Purisima as purse keepers.

"Aquino's appointment of his sisters and Cesar Purisima, former trade secretary in the Arroyo administration, to manage the campaign finances also says a lot about the state of his campaign right now," he said.

He added: "It hints the level of distrust that has infected the very core of the Noynoy campaign machinery."

Tamano said the recent developments within the LP may turn off potential campaign donors for Aquino and “aggravate the disunity plaguing the LP.”

A newspaper report said that Aquino has declared during a meeting at the LP’s headquarters in Cubao, Quezon City over the weekend that he is personally taking charge of his presidential campaign.

Tamano said that the alleged “chaos” within the Aquino camp is reflective of the senator’s kind of leadership.

“If you are running for a top post and you are saying I have what it takes, that’s the leadership para to rule over this entire country, sa akin demonstrate it first by ruling over your party, di ba? Kasi kung sa partido mo pa lang, nag-aaway pa kayo… Kung ako ang botante, why would I put my trust in your group,” said Tamano.

He said Filipinos should expect a similar situation if Aquino is elected president.

"Is this the kind of government a Noynoy administration would offer to Filipinos? This is unfortunate. This country will never get out of the rut under such leadership," Tamano said.

“Rifts settled already”

Liberal Party official Sen. Francis Pangilinan, meanwhile, denied disunity still exists within their party.

Pangilinan, who previously admitted to a rift 6 months ago with LP’s vice-presidential bet Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, said that this has already been settled. Pangilinan, at that time, went on a leave from the party. But now, he is the campaign manager for the LP’s senatorial slate.

“Wala nang problema. Talagang we are solid behind ‘Noy and Mar. Admittedly noong umpisa, 6-7 months ago, pero ngayon that is all ayos na ang gusot. Matagal nang ayos, talagang all out tayo for ‘Noy and Mar,” said Pangilinan in an interview.

Reports also surfaced recently of some in the LP camp pushing for a tandem of Aquino and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay but this has been denied by the LP standard bearer himself. Binay, a close friend of the Aquino siblings, is running for Vice President with former President Joseph Estrada as his presidential bet.

After the reports of disunity in the LP, Aquino has reportedly talked personally to leaders in the party’s campaign machinery to clarify their respective tasks.

The LP changed its campaign strategy after NP’s standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar started catching up to Aquino in recent presidential surveys.

The LP has attributed Villar’s rising popularity among voters to his camp’s extensive spending on political ads. With a report of Ces Oreña-Drilon, ABS-CBN News