Current Philippine news on Villar’s alleged bribe try on Enrile
Just a few days before the official start of the 90 day campaign period for national candidates, Manny Villar may be limping to the starting gate -- hobbled by the C-5 controversy and a new but belated accusation of bribery. If everything is politically motivated, is there any chance for truth to come out?
Current Philippine news now centers on political controversy as political rivals in the 2010 Presidential race engage in a bitter feud at the Philippine Senate.
Even before it closes the book on the ethics complaint against Senator Manny Villar over the C-5 road project controversy, a new controversy has erupted.
Yesterday, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile revealed that some time last year, Senator Manny Villar attempted to bribe him in exchange for dropping the ethics complaint against him.
In this excerpt from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Enrile narrates the meeting with Villar in which he was allegedly offered a bribe:
Upon Villar’s invitation, the Senate leader said he had lunch with the senator at a Japanese restaurant in Makati City.
Enrile said he “graciously agreed” even if at that time, Villar and his allies in the Senate minority group, filed a case in the Supreme Court to stop the Committee of the Whole’s investigation into his involvement in the C-5 project.
“I believe it is my duty to oblige and listen whenever any of my colleagues request to see me or talk to me,” Enrile said.
During the meeting, Enrile said, Villar expressed his request “for my help because he was concerned about the investigation.”
“He asserted that he had done nothing wrong and that Senator [Jamby] Madrigal’s charges had no basis,” he said.
“I explained to him that since the complaint of Senator Madrigal has been referred to the Committee of the Whole and that the Supreme Court had not issued the temporary restraining order they sought, the hearing must proceed,” he further said.
Enrile said he then “very clearly” and “repeatedly advised” Villar to participate in the proceedings so he could present his case.
“Several times during that meeting, Senator Villar interjected: “Manong, baka naman may maitutulong ako sa inyo. Makakatulong naman ako kung may kailangan kayo [Manong, there might be something I can do to help you. I can help if there’s anything that you need],” Enrile said, recalling their conversation during the meeting.
“I chose to ignore these statements, feeling very uncomfortable. But I told him, Manny, gusto kitang tulungan [I want to help you]. What I can promise you is that I will be fair to you. I will not allow the hearings to go beyond the issues referred to the committee nor for it to be turned into a fishing expedition,” the Senate leader said.
When he repeated his offer, Enrile said he told Villar, “Manny, if I help you, don’t worry walang kapalit yun [I ask for nothing in return].”
Villar’s allies in the Senate have responded to this fresh allegation, asking why Enrile didn’t include such a serious incident in the committee report.
Here are excerpts from another report in the Philippine Daily Inquirer:
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said Enrile should have included his “innuendo” in the Senate report on the C-5 project and in his sponsorship speech of the report if he really believed that there was a bribery attempt.
“I find (Enrile’s allegation) a little worrisome for the reason that innuendos will only tend to, you know, incite people to believe that a certain person is corrupt without offering any proof to begin with,” Pimentel said.
“The insinuation was that there was an attempt which I think was unfair. If Senator Enrile believed that what Mr. Villar talked about was in violation of the law, then he should have included that as a charge in the committee report while they were investigating the charges,” he said.
“And include it in his explanation Tuesday when he sponsored the committee report,” he added.
Pimentel noted that there was “no mention of that in the committee investigation, no mention of it either in the committee report,” which Enrile sponsored on Tuesday.
Just a few days before the official start of the 90 day campaign period for National candidates, the air in the august chambers of the Senate seems rife with controversy.
With this latest charge against Villar, the senate has turned into a political arena instead of functioning as a chamber that deliberates over policies and laws that will affect the country’s direction.
It is just a few days away from the official start of the 90 day campaign period for candidates seeking national positions. It is usually at this stage that pivotal attacks become quite effective in hobbling a candidate as the aspirant for a national position will be divided over putting out the fires of controversy as well as trying to maintain a forward momentum for his campaign.
One question that should nag at people’s minds at this point is this: If the allegations against Senator Manny Villar over the c-5 controversy were true, why wasn’t it handed over to a proper court?
Then again, if it were deliberated over at the Sandiganbayan or whatever court is appropriate, would Villar then now say that he still wouldn’t get a fair and impartial trial because he is a member of the opposition opposed to Gloria Macapagal Arroyo?
If the courts clear him of all charges, wouldn’t the courts then be besieged with allegations that it sided with Villar because the Senator is actually President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s secret candidate?
In any case, with Senator Manny Villar’s presidential campaign debilitated by the C-5 controversy issue, the campaigns of Noynoy Aquino, former President Joseph Estrada, Gibo Teodoro, and Dick Gordon may benefit from this controversy.
I think Senator Villar can handle this issue as well as the issue on C5 extension budget.