The Philippine Online Chronicles

Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer Sen. Manny Villar may face recommendations of censure for engaging in improper and unethical conduct as a senator of the state and may be charged with returning up to P6.22 billion that “Villar made the Filipino people suffer” to benefit his corporations.

The Senate Committee of the Whole approved and filed the recommendations Monday night. The 84-page report stated that Villar violated Article VI Section 14 and Section 3 (I) in relation to Section 9 of Republic Act (RA) 6713, otherwise known as the Code of Conduct of Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees when he failed to avoid conflict of interest by not divesting himself as a major shareholder of Adelfa Properties Inc., Golden Haven Memorial Park Inc., and Azalea Real Estate Corp., where his proposed road projects were allegedly made to pass through. The report also stated that Villar knew of the corporations' contracts with the government through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Committee Chair and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile clarified that the signing was not decisive of Villar's guilt since a floor deliberation will determine the enactment of the sanctions. However, heavier injunctions such as suspension or expulsion are not possible, according to Enrile, for it would require the vote of two-thirds of the senators.

“Regardless of whether or not they agree with the report, they can sign. But as far as the voting is concerned, that’s another matter. (It’s) only to bring the matter to the floor for discussion and then we will vote on whether they agree with the sanction,” Philippine Star quoted Enrile.

The twelve senators who signed the report were President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senators Rodolfo Biazon, Panfilo Lacson, Jamby Madrigal, Edgardo Angara, Benigno Aquino III, Manuel Roxas II, Richard Gordon, Francis Escudero, and Francis Pangilinan.

Villar had earlier signed a resolution acquitting himself of the charges, which was also signed by Estrada, Pangilinan, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Senators Joker Arroyo, Alan Peter Cayetano, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Gregorio Honasan II, Pia Cayetano, Manuel Lapid, Ramon Revilla Jr., and Loren Legarda.

Estrada and Pangilinan signed the two opposing propositions. In a report by Inquirer, Estrada said that he would withdraw his signing of Villar's dismissal, which was due to an agreement that its filing would only take place after the committee files its own report. Pangilinan, on the other hand, said that his decision was based on the Liberal Party's (LP) official stand on the issue of the Committee of the Whole's report.

Meanwhile, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and NP Spokesperson Gilbert Remulla defended Villar from the findings reported by the committee, which Villar branded as a “kangaroo court.”

“I am sad that this has become a numbers game rather than based on evidence. Having said that, the good news is there will be an opportunity to compare the two reports and I believe that when facts are made public the people will see that this has been highly politicized,” Star quoted Cayetano as saying.

Remulla, as quoted by GMANews, pointed to the report as “all about the headlines that it would grab and the sound bites they could produce in this week of data gathering for the next nationwide survey and at the time when Senator Villar has closed the gap between him and his closest rival,” in reference to LP's presidential candidate Sen. Noynoy Aquino.