Zubiri wants leak in draft of ethics report on Villar case investigated

A disciplinary action awaits those who leaked the draft committee report on the ethics complaint against Senator Manuel Villar, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said on Monday. “Siguro iimbestigahan kung saan galing ang committee report na yan at sino ang nag-leak ng report na yan, (We should investigate who leaked out the draft report)," he said. According to him, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, chairman of the committee of the whole that investigated the complaint against Villar and drafted the report, had warned senators against leaking the report before it becomes official. [See: Senators warned vs leaking committee report on Villar case] “It is very important to know how that draft report was leaked out," Zubiri said, adding that an ethics complaint can be filed against the culprit. “Malaki ang consequence; napakatindi niyan. I hope na hindi senador ang nagpalabas ng committee report (Releasing the draft report has a big consequence. I hope the one who leaked it is not a senator)," he said. If a Senate staff released the report, he or she could be fired “because the confidentiality of several controversial reports is very important in the Senate," Zubiri said. The committee of the whole needs to secure 12 signatures before the report could be referred to the floor and considered as official. Zubiri said he is not aware how many of the senators have signed the report so far, but said that he was the ninth to affix his signature. He refused to name the eight others who did ahead of him. He, however, clarified that those who signed may not agree with the content of the report. “Yung mga pagpirma dun hindi po ibig sabihin na sang-ayon na sila sa committee report dahil alam naman natin maraming committee report na inilalabas na ang signature ay procedural lang. Ang importante ay yung boto nila sa plenary sa isyu na ito (Their signature on the report does not mean they conform with it. We know that most of the signatures were affixed only to follow procedure. What is important is their vote during the plenary when the matter is discussed)," he said. The senator added that he is excited to discuss the matter on the floor “para sa ganun ay baka sakali tumayo na si former Senate President Villar at ipagtanggol ang kanyang sarili (maybe former Senate President Villar would finally stand up to defend himself)." The Philippines Daily Inquirer on Monday came out with a story on the supposed committee report seeking the censure of Villar for improper and unethical conduct with regards to the controversial C-5 Road extension project, and urging him to return the P6 billion which the government spent for the project. The Inquirer article claimed that an official of a political party leaked the report. As of posting time, no senator has admitted releasing the report. Senator Francis Escudero, in a text message to GMANews.TV, said he has yet to read the report and “will probably see it later." Edwin Lacierda, spokesperson of Liberal Party standard bearer, Senator Benigno Simeon Aquino III, said the leaked report did not come from them. “No it did not come from us. I don’t have a copy and I have not seen one. Sorry," he said. Last November, 12 senators signed a resolution urging the committee of the whole to clear Villar of his alleged involvement in the C-5 Road extension project controversy. [See: 12 senators want ethics case vs Villar dismissed] In 2008, Senator Ma. Ana Consuelo “Jamby" Madrigal filed the complaint against Villar and accused him 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 did not divest himself of interest in corporations whose properties were acquired by the government for road right of way for the Las Piñas-Paranaque road. Both Madrigal and Villar are running for president in the May elections. - LBG/KBK, GMANews.TV