Villar breaks silence on Senate committee report

Presidential aspirant Sen. Manuel Villar on Wednesday stood firm on his claim that neither he nor his corporations earned from the government’s C-5 road extension project as mentioned in a Senate committee report. At his first press briefing after the committee report on his ethics case came out, Villar also said he would not return the P6.22 billion the Senate committee of the whole accused him of illegally earning simply because there is nothing to return. “Wala naman akong kinukuha maski piso, ano ang ibabalik ko (I did not get anything from that project, so what would I return)?" said the Nacionalista Party’s standard-bearer, adding that he could not think where the amount came from. The P6.22 billion, according to the 84-page report, was the amount “Villar made the Filipino people suffer" for the benefit of his corporations. Of the said amount, P1.8 billion was spent by the government for the road right of way project that was allegedly wasted when the original C5 project was realigned, P4.28 billion was the additional cost when the project was realigned, and P141 million overprice on the properties of Villar acquired for the project. Aside from demanding the return of the money, the committee also recommended that Villar be censured for engaging in improper and unethical conduct as a senator, and for damaging the integrity of the Senate. Villar said he was not surprised by the decision, adding that those who endorsed the report were from other political parties that have presidential candidates in the May 10 elections. “Kapag tiningnan mo ang mga bumoto ng laban sa akin, sila ang mga miyembro ng Liberal Party, Pwersa ng Masa . . . mga kalaban naman natin sa pulitika (If you look at those who voted against me, they’re members of Liberal Party, Pwersa ng Masa, in short our political opponents)," he said. Villar said the C-5 issue was being brought against in time for the field works of various survey firms. Recent surveys showed that Villar, a constant second placer, is closing the gap between him and survey leader, Liberal Party’s Sen. Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III. He said he would answer the accusations against him “at the right time" and even vowed to face the plunder case that Sen. Ana Consuelo “Jamby" Madrigal, another presidential aspirant, would file against him. - KBK, GMANews.TV