Charges politically motivated, says Villar

MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. brushed aside yesterday the charges against him before the Senate ethics and privileges committee as “politically motivated.”

After declaring his intention to run for president in 2010, he had expected his critics and political opponents to attack him left and right, he added.

However, Villar said the Senate would continue to perform as “a highly esteemed legislative institution.”

“We cannot afford to let the Senate diminish its legislative output due to internal conflict and misgivings,” he said.

Villar said the approval of bills seeking to create new regional and municipal trial courts in the National Capital Region, South Cotabato and Koronadal would strengthen the judicial system in the local level and improve the delivery of justice in the countryside.

The Senate passed on third reading the Basic Compensation Bill which aims to give more than 50,000 teachers and non-teaching personnel in public schools a P9,000 increase in basic pay, he added.

Villar said the “Senate remained focused on its tasks to legislate the needed reforms” in the country.

“The past few weeks we have seen how differences among the members of the chamber tried to shake the institution,” he said.

“But despite the differences, the Senate persevered to deliver on its legislative duties. The Senate remained steadfast in its prime duty to legislate.

“The exercise of democratic freedoms within the halls of the Senate can be tiring and time-consuming, but these certainly did not distract the majority of the senators from doing their jobs.”

Meanwhile, the Senate constituted last Wednesday night the membership of the committee on ethics to look into the complaint of Sen. Jamby Madrigal against Villar.

Villar is accused of conflict of interest in pushing for additional funding for the C-5 Road Extension Project as his properties will allegedly benefit from it.

However, Villar has denied the accusations and refused to further talk about the issue.

It was Sen. Panfilo Lacson who first broke the expose, followed by Madrigal who filed the complaint before the ethics committee.

Lacson traded off his “yes” vote for ratification of the Japan Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) for the constitution of the ethics committee. 

At the same time, Lacson made a motion before the plenary that he is relinquishing his membership in the ethics committee to pave way for the appointment of Sen. Rodolfo Biazon.

Sen. Pia Cayetano, Senate committee on ethics and privileges chair, said she is duty bound to take up the complaint since it has been referred to the committee.

Membership of the ethics committee in plenary was completed last Wednesday night with the nomination of Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Joker Arroyo, Gregorio Honasan and Alan Peter Cayetano.

Senators Biazon and Benigno Aquino III replaced Senators Lacson and Madrigal, who have relinquished their memberships in the committee. – Aurea Calica, Christina Mendez