JPE: Villar did insertion and that’s all for now

BY DENNIS GADIL

THE Senate finance committee investigating the double entry on the C-5 road extension project yesterday determined that Senate President Manuel Villar authored the insertion of another P200 million for the project.

But the committee has not established whether there was an intent to profit on the part of anybody, panel chair Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile said in a media briefing.

Enrile added: "The committee does not fish for evidence. You make an allegation, you have to prove it. He who alleges has the burden of proof."

Enrile’s panel opened its probe on the double insertion on the road project that was exposed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson in a privileged speech.

Enrile said it was established that Villar and his family own properties along the C-5 road extension project but it was not clear if they purchased the properties before or after the road project was conceptualized or approved.

"When he (Villar) acquired this, we do not know, whether he acquired this after C-5 was planned or under construction or even before that, or only recently, that has not been established," said Enrile.

Enrile also said a double entry cannot be avoided because of human error.

He cited the double entry of P1.5 million in a small road project for Guimaras province in 2000 national budget during the term of Joseph Estrada.

He said under the 2000 budget, the road project for San Miguel-Constancia-Igcawayan-Cabano Road, San Lorenzo in Guimaras got a double funding of P1.5 million or a total of P3 million.

The double entry in the 2000 budget was confirmed by Benjamin Diokno, Estrada’s budget secretary, one of the guests.

But Enrile said he will not stop Lacson or Sen. Jamby Madrigal from delivering more privilege speeches on the matter.

"It’s their right. Let the people judge," he said.

Enrile said he will assess the information and would decide if another hearing is warranted.

He said Villar will have to ultimately explain his side on the double entry controversy on the session floor or during the next hearing.

Lacson said they have enough evidence to prove Villar’s conflict of interest.

He said their next venue is the Senate ethics committee chaired by Pia Cayetano, also an ally of Villar in the majority bloc.

Lacson said their last stop could be the Ombudsman.

The Senate finance committee also decided to publish all the amendments of all senators in the 2008 national budget.

The decision was arrived at after Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, committee vice chair, challenged her colleagues to make public the amendments they made in the 2008 budget.

Santiago said: "I appeal to our colleagues to come out and tell the public how many earmarks and what was it for. And if your conscience goes that deep tell us what the kickback was," Santiago said.

Lacson answered Santiago’s challenge, saying he did not have any insertions in the budget.

What he had, he said, was a realignment of P20 million for DOST for research and development.

In the House committee on appropriations sub-committee hearing in the proposed P1.7 billion budget for 2009 of the Metro Manila Development Authority, the agency’s general manager Robert Nacianceno said that Caloocan Rep. Oscar Malapitan (First District) was able to secure P7 million for flood control, P5 million more than the P2 million allocated to all 26 Metro Manila districts.

Malapitan could not be reached for comment.

Nacianceno said Malapitan’s district received the allocation in the national budget for 2008 and in the P1.145 trillion proposed General Appropriations Act for 2009.

But Nacianceno could not explain the discrepancy and pointed to the Department of Budget and Management.

Appropriations sub-committee chair Ruffy Biazon of Muntinlupa said he was baffled why one district "rises above the rest." – With JP Lopez, Jocelyn Montemayor and Wendell Vigilia