Villar taunts accusers on C-5 scandal

by Fel V. Maragay


Senator Manuel Villar had snubbed the Senate hearings on the alleged double funding of the C-5 road extension project. And he had not bothered to submit any evidence to disprove the allegation that he and his real estate business profited from the construction of the road artery.

But Villar remains upbeat that he will be cleared by the Senate committee of the whole of the accusations lodged against him by Senators Jamby Madrigal and Panfilo Lacson, in connection with the road scandal.

“I am very happy that all witnesses that they invited, all of them said, not guilty. The accusations were simply not true,” Villar said.

During the hearings, Madrigal, the complainant in the ethics case, testified that Villar allegedy caused the double insertion of funds into the C-5 project under 2008 national budget by allocating P200 million for the project on top of the P200 million already allotted by Malacañang for the same purpose. He also claimed that the original route of the C-5 extension, which would connect the South Luzon Superhighway to the Coastal Road in Parañaque City, was diverted by constructing the Parañaque-Las Piñas link road. With the alleged realignment, he said the road passed through subdivision lands owned by Villar’s real estate firms, increasing their market value.

Madrigal also accused Villar and his company subordinates of overpricing the road-right of claims for his properties at the expense of the government. But Parañaque revenue district officer Carmencita Bacod testified that there was no overpricing since the property value was based on existing zonal valuation.

Yolanda Doblon, chief of the Senate legislative budget research and management office, denied that there was double funding because the P200 million allocated by Villar was treated as an additional allocation. She said they were aware that there was a P200 million originally earmarked by Malacañang for the same project but under the road’s official name, Carlos Garcia Highway. But Lacson said this deviated from her previous claim that she was not aware of the first P200 million.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who was chairman of the finance committee at the time of the deliberations on the 2008 budget, affirmed that there was no double funding for the project. Villar branded the allegation as preposterous since the funds made available for the C-5 extension were just a small fraction of the P4.2 billion needed for the entire project.

Villar said the Senate inquiry has established the following:

1. There is no double entry, it is not possible to have double entry;
   
2. There is no realignment because there were two roads involved in the project (a toll road and another road for free public use); and,
   
3. There is no overprice because it is based on zonal value.

Villar also debunked the allegation that he made monetary gains from the road project which, he said, will untangle traffic snarls and benefit travelers and commuters between Cavite-Laguna and Metro Manila.

“I am very proud of this road because this shows that I am capable of building this kind of infrastructure. I have not made a single peso from this,” he said.

The senator from Cavite and Tondo said the only people who made negative comments about the road projects were his rivals in the presidential race.

But Madrigal said it was undeniable that Villar committed an unethical act by sponsoring the C-5 extension project. She cited the testimony of Doblon that it was a top official of Villar’s real estate companies, Anastacio Adriano, who “dictated” to her the senator’s budget insertion for the project.

Madrigal said Adriano had no business interfering in the budget process since he was not officially connected with the Senate. Villar claimed Adriano was his consultant but his name does not appear in the roster of Senate consultants.

Enrile said the members of the committee of the whole would have to meet during the congressional recess to evaluate the documentary and testimonial evidence gathered at the hearings and pass judgment on Villar.


Source: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNation.htm?f=2009/november/2/nation1.isx&d=/2009/november/2