Villar defends C-5 deal at Senate; no quorum for censure

MANILA, Philippines - Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Manuel Villar Jr. declared his innocence from allegations that he benefited from the C-5 Road extension project before the Senate yesterday.

Speaking before the plenary, Villar said the report of the Committee of the Whole chaired by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile was “all lies” meant to destroy his name and mislead the public.

“I can explain my wealth,” he said.

“I am the principal shareholder in a public company that I founded. From a small gravel and sand enterprise 30 years ago with but an old beat up truck as its main asset, I have been able to grow it into a trustworthy, viable, and solid real estate company.

“I want to set the records straight. The report of the Committee of the Whole - as submitted and read to the public last Wednesday - is most unfair to me. I believe it was so presented to deceive the people. It was meant to besmirch my reputation.”

Villar said he has been publicly condemned and maligned by some of his peers who had simply presented statements of his alleged indiscretions without proof that he had pocketed the funds for the road project.

“I have been pilloried with a lot of charges as a result of my declaration as a presidential candidate,” he said.

“I have not stolen money from the public coffers and I do not intend to steal.

“Whatever station in life I am in right now, whatever I am earning now, is a product of hard work, sweat and industry.”

Villar said he would just focus on his real estate empire if he wanted to earn more money.

He entered public service to help alleviate the condition of the poor, he added.

In a 16-page speech, Villar denied that he used his influence to pursue his business interests.

“Whatever the motives of my accusers, the report does not reflect the truth,” he said.

“Wala pong katotohanan dito. Wala po akong kasalanan. Wala pong anomaly sa C-5 project, at hindi po ako nakinabang. Mula simula hanggang huli, ang sinasabing imbestigasyon ay punong puno ng pulitika. Lahat ng aking mga kalaban sa election ay nag-imbento. (It’s all lies. I’ve done nothing wrong. There’s no anomaly in the C-5 project. From the start I’ve said the investigation is all politics. All my election rivals were making up stories).”

“I did not direct or influence the DPWH to have the C-5 project pass through my properties. The fact is that the conceptualization, alignment, planning and execution of the said project were all done by the DPWH.”

Villar said he did not “make a pile of money” out of the C-5 Road extension project.

There was no overpricing of his lands where the C-5 project passed through, he added. 

Villar accused his detractors of orchestrating the “trumped up charges” against him.

All of them have become judges out to convict him, he added.

He did not join the Senate investigation because he knew from the start that the case has been “lutong Macau (rigged).”

At the start of his speech, Villar said his real estate company has been “doing big” in the industry even before he entered politics.

“In business circles, I have been known as the brown taipan,” he said.

“Hindi ko kailangan ang P200 million na sinasabi nilang nakimkim ko sa proyekto ng C-5 Road extension.

“I don’t need the P200 million which the said I skimmed off the project. They were not content and made the issue bigger, so that after their so-called investigation they said I owed P6 billion.”

Villar said the P200 million he sought in the 2008 budget was not a double insertion but another allocation on another portion of the C-5 Road extension project.  

The amount was not even released by the Department of Budget and Management, he added.

If the amount had been released, the money would not pass through him because it would go to the Department of Public Works and Highways as the project’s implementing agency, Villar said.

Villar lambasted his critics who have been insinuating that he pocketed the P200 million.

“Nobody can say that I did not answer this (accusations) before this plenary,” he said.

Villar said the investigation of the Senate Committee of the Whole was part of a grand plan to derail his presidential bid.

“They want to destroy my name by repeatedly tackling the issue, but I have defended myself also countless times. I was condemned without the benefit of a fair trial. Can a boxer fight if the judges had already decided? They want me out of their way.”

As Villar ended his speech, a Senate page refilled his glass with water.

After the speech, Villar was met by his allies, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., and Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and his sister Pia who kissed Villar on the cheek.

Notwithstanding the objection of Sen. Jamby Madrigal, Villar left the Senate premises, refusing to be interpellated, and boarded his SUV.

At this juncture, Madrigal, Enrile and Sen. Richard Gordon took turns chiding Villar on the floor.

Alan Cayetano briefly exchanged barbs with Madrigal, who called Villar a coward for refusing to be interpellated.