Senate fails anew to take up C5 report vs Villar

Due to “lack of time," the Senate on Wednesday failed again to discuss the committee report sanctioning Senator Manuel Villar Jr. for allegedly allowing his private business interests to earn from the C5 road extension project. Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said the upper chamber ran out of the time needed to tackle the report of the committee of the whole, since the senators got so engrossed discussing the bill empowering the Bureau of Immigration and other pending measures. “It would be anti-climactic to discuss the report today dahil natagalan kami sa (because we got stuck at the) immigration bill. Because of the lack of time, we decided to advise Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile to sponsor the bill on Monday," he told reporters after the session. Zubiri added that only 10 senators were inside the session hall—two senators short for a quorum - around 5:30 pm. At least 12 senators were present when the session started around 3 pm. But a source said the senators decided to discuss the controversial committee report on Monday to "have more impact." He said the committee report would be the first item on the agenda of the chamber on Monday. The report sanctioned Villar for improper and unethical conduct as a senator in connection with the C5 road extension project, and asked for the return of the funds spent on the project worth P6.22 billion. [See: Senate panel to Villar on C-5: Return P6.22-B fund to govt] After Enrile sponsors the report, he will be interpellated by the other members, then the chamber will take up the resolution filed by 12 senators in November clearing Villar of the charges, Zubiri said. The chamber will then vote on the report and the resolution. On Tuesday, the Senate adjourned early due to lack of quorum. Enrile then warned the absent senators to attend the session or he will sanction them. [See: Senate fails to tackle Villar report due to lack of quorum] Those present in the session on Wednesday, aside from Enrile, were Zubiri, Senate Protempore Jose “Jinggoy" Estrada, Senators Benigno Simeon Aquino III, Manuel Roxas II, Maria Ana Consuelo “Jamby" Madrigal, Rodolfo Biazon, Francis Escudero, Richard Gordon, and Gregorio Honasan II. Also present were Senators Edgardo Angara, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pilar Juliana Cayetano, Miriam Defensor Santiago, and Ramon Revilla Jr. All were among those absent Tuesday. Villar was in his room at the fifth floor holding a press conference while the session was on going. Enrile to make C5 campaign issue Meanwhile, Enrile warned after Wednesday’s session that he will bring the C5 controversy directly to the public and make it a campaign issue against Villar if the latter’s allies were to continue dragging their feet on its being discussed in the plenary. “I’m ready to debate with them be it in chamber, outside (the chamber) about this report," Enrile told reporters, adding that if “they are not willing to discuss this report in plenary I will take this report to the people and discuss it publicly (and) make it a campaign issue. It is my duty to tell the people what I found," Enrile said at a press conference in his office. Villar is running for president under the Nacionalista Party which he heads while Enrile is a senatorial candidate under the banner of Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino which has former President Joseph Estrada as its standard bearer. Enrile blamed Villar for the absence of senators on Tuesday when he was supposed to sponsor the report. The Senate President said he had advised Villar to answer the allegations and present evidence so that the committee of the whole will have a basis to consider his position. “But he did not want to present any evidence because obviously he cannot refute the evidence that were presented, submitted to me," he said. Enrile asked why Villar did not disclose to the Senate that his lands will be benefited from the project that he was pushing and funding. Although Enrile denied that he is politicking, he also said the reported efforts to unseat him goes beyond the C5 project mess, pointing in the direction of a post-May-elections scenario. “They want to control the proceedings for the canvassing of votes for president and vice president, which is presided over by the Senate President," he said. He also believed that “they (Villar and his allies) are anticipating, they want their man to be the Senate President so that just in case there is a failure of election, he (the Senate President) will be the successor." “But I told them, even if you elect a Senate President, (that is) not Enrile, that will be inutile because he has no quorum, he cannot do anything and besides I don’t know whether he will be obeyed by the military people and the police especially if he has no involvement with them over time," Enrile said in a veiled reference to his own long military involvement as martial law administrator and Defense Minister during the Marcos administration. Enrile expressed confidence that he still have the numbers, even though some of his former allies are now with Villar. He named Senators Legarda, now Villar’s running mate, and Miriam Defensor Santiago, who is NP’s guest senatorial candidate. The Senate chief said he will be calling a caucus “one of these days... and we will discuss whether we have to reorganize the Senate." – JV/RSJ, GMANews.TV