Senate shelves reso dismissing Villar ethics raps

The Senate on Tuesday shelved a resolution dismissing an ethics complaint against presidential aspirant Sen. Manuel Villar Jr., who was accused of profiting from the government's C-5 road extension project. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile referred Senate Resolution 1472 to the Senate committee on rules to determine if the resolution was in accordance with the procedures. “This resolution at this point is not in order. Therefore the referral of this resolution to Committee on Rules is proper. The matter calls for an interpretation of the rules. So therefore the body that has jurisdiction over this is the committee on rules," he said. He added that without rendering judgment, the resolution would be referred to the committee on rules for it to wait for the committee report that would be prepared by the committee of the whole, which investigated the case against Villar. Enrile said the resolution, signed by 12 senators, effectively preempted the committee of the whole report. A report on GMA News' "24 Oras" Tuesday night said the senators agreed not to act on the resolution for now.

No objection Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., who penned the resolution, said they had no objection to it being referred to the committee on rules. He, however, said their only hope is that “there should be a timetable" for the committee to come up with its findings. Enrile presided 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. Sen. Maria Ana Consuelo Madrigal lodged the ethics 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. The resolution was filed Monday, or a day before Villar's announcement that he is picking Sen. Loren Legarda as his running mate in the May 2010 elections. Legarda was among the signatories of the resolution. Villar defended the resolution, saying it was clear that the witnesses had exonerated him. "Doon sa mga hearing maliwanag naman mga witnesses sinabing wala akong kasalanan (In those hearings, it was clear the witnesses said I had no fault)," he said, although he was not present in any of the hearings done on the case. Sen. Francis Pangilinan said they voted to dismiss the complaint "because we felt the institution was being used for personal ambitions of certain individuals." Angry Enrile Sen. Panfilo Lacson, whose privilege speech on the C-5 road mess triggered the ethics investigation on Villar, said Enrile was so angry he nearly quit as Senate president upon learning of the resolution. “He thought of resigning, 12 signatures is one signature away from ousting a Senate President. He thought and rightly so that this is a direct affront on his leadership," he said. Senate majority leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said some of those who signed the resolution were fooled. "Mukang nabola sila (Seems like they were fooled). That is a sign of bad faith, not a sign of good faith," he said. - GMANews.TV