The Senate president who is supposed to be on top of everything at the august chamber is clueless about Sen. Manuel Villar Jr's clearance.On Tuesday, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said he had no idea about a Senate resolution signed by 12 senators dismissing the ethics complaint against Nacionalista Paty standad bearer Villar over the C-5 Road project double entry mess.
"Di ko malaman kung ano ang reso na 'yan. Wala pa kaming committee report na ginagawa. Sinusuri palang ang mga iprinesintang ebidensya sa Committee of the Whole," Enrile in an interview on radio dzBB.
(I don't know what the resolution is all about. We haven't come out with our committee report. We are still assessing the evidence submitted by the Committee of the Whole.)
Enrile presides over the Senate Committee of the Whole's ethics investigation into allegations that Villar and his companies benefited from the C-5 deal with the government.
Insertion, conflict of interest
Sen. Maria Ana Consuelo "Jamby" Madrigal led the filing of complaint against Villar who was accused of making a questionable P200-million insertion into the 2008 national budget for the construction of the C-5 extension from South Luzon Expressway to Sucat Road including the right of way even though the project was already covered in the same budget with the same amount.
Villar was also accused of realigning the C-5 road extension project to benefit properties registered in the name of corporations that he and his family own and control.
There was also supposedly a conflict of interest on Villar’s part when he failed to divest himself of interest in corporations whose properties were acquired by the government for road right of way for the Las Piñas-Paranaque road.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel Jr., who was among the 12 senators who signed the resolution, said he and his colleagues went ahead with clearing Villar because they already "had the votes."
“Di naman kailangan ang committee report (We don’t need the committee report). After all, we had the votes so we decided," Pimentel said.
Enrile, however, said the committee will still come up with its report based on the evidence presented to it. Villar’s camp had refused to submit evidence to the committee.
“Let the record stay that way and let the public judge which of the two reports is correct," Enrile said.
Jamby 'failed'
On Monday, the senators signed a resolution urging the Senate to junk the ethics complaint against Villar. [See: 12 senators want ethics case vs Villar dismissed]
The senators claimed that Madrigal failed to prove her accusations that Villar profited from the road project.
The other 11 senators who signed the resolution are Senate Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy" Estrada, Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Pilar Juliana "Pia" Cayetano, Manuel “Lito" Lapid, Gregorio Honasan II, Joker Arroyo, Miriam Defensor Santiago, Ramon Revilla Jr., Francis Pangilinan, Villar and his running mate, Lorna Regina “Loren" Legarda.
Enrile said he would have Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri put the resolution on the calendar of ordinary business so the Senate could tackle it on the floor.
The Senate president stressed that he did not want to influence any of the committee members on their voting.
Loren: Manny's girl Friday?
Villar said he was elated by the move of his colleagues.
"Ako po ay nagpapasalamat at masaya rin ako na finally malinis ang aking pangalan... Ngayon masasabi ko na maski kailan ay hindi ako kumukuha ng maski piso sa pamahalaan at malinis ang aking record," Villar said.
(I am thankful and happy because my name has been cleared finally. Now, I can say that I did not get any money from the government and my record is clear.)
"Sa akin ay saradong chapter na 'yan (For me, it's already a closed chapter)," he added.
Madrigal, however, is not about to give up on her complaint. She insists that her complaint against Villar has basis.
"My fight against corruption is non-negotiable. My complaint against Sen. Villar is based on principles," the senator said.
Madrigal also made snide remarks against her colleagues who cleared Villar, particularly against Legarda.
"I congratulate Mr. Villar for his fantastic lobbying in turning someone like Sen. Loren Legarda, who was rabidly against him into his Girl Friday," Madrigal said.
Legarda was among those who voted in favor of Enrile replacing Villar as Senate president.
"As they say, Manny talks and money talks louder. I will not subscribe to political prostitution when the country's interest is at stake. Public service is not a numbers game," Madrigal added.
Meanwhile, with regard to the latest Pulse Asia survey showing Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III leading the pack of presidential hopefuls, Villar said the results showed the narrowing gap between him and former President Corazon Aquino's only son.
"Kahit papaano ay normal na ang kampanya ngayon at hindi na imposibleng habulin (At least the campaign now has become normal, it has no longer become impossible to race with my opponents in the 2010 polls)" Villar said.
Unfazed
Fellow presidential aspirants former President Joseph Estrada and former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro are both unfazed by the results of the same survey.
"Elections are still six months away. It is still unpredictable as the people are not really decided yet whom to vote," said Estrada, a former president who topped popularity surveys prior to winning the 1998 elections.
For his part, Teodoro, who recently relinquished his Cabinet post as defense secretary, said: "Ako, madi-discourage? Hindi (I won’t get discouraged with the survey result)." with Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV
Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/177157/enrile-clueless-about-villars-clearance-in-c-5-road-mess
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