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Villar tried to bribe me—Enrile By Angie M. Rosales 01/27/2010

Wednesday, January 27, 2010


Villar tried to bribe me—Enrile

By Angie M. Rosales
01/27/2010

Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar attempted to bribe Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, chairman of the committee which investigated the former on alleged ethical misconduct through the unethical manner of funding the over P6-billion C-5 road extension project, into coming up with a favorable decision.

It was Enrile himself who had disclosed this Villar bribe try yesterday, as he warned Villar “about his propensity to use his billions to offer favors to people, including his colleagues, to avoid facing the charges against him.”
“I am not prone to spread rumors. I am speaking from personal experience,” he said.

Even as deliberations on the committee of the whole report No. 780 effectively finding him guilty of ethical misconduct and conflict of interests in advancing the C-5 road project to benefit some of his prime real estate properties, Villar stood pat in refusing to face his accusers in the Senate.... MORE


SourceThe Daily Tribune

ALTERNATE URL: http://www.classicposters.com/commentary/20100127hed1.html


Destroying himself 01/27/2010


Destroying himself

01/27/2010

Cut through the blather of the personal clashes among senators
during Monday’s plenary, what stands out is the fact that Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar’s senators who defended him against Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile’s Senate committee of the whole (Scow) report censuring Villar for unethical conduct, didn’t have any solid defense to clear Villar, merely pounding on the claim that the Senate majority is “politicizing” the issue of the C-5 road extension controversy.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who is sponsoring the absolve Villar resolution, was very selective in highlighting one or two testimonies that claimed there was no overpricing and no realignments, extremely careful not to mention their, and other witnesses admission that indeed, there was an overpricing of the road right of way, as well as a realignment, apart from the fact that the testimony given by Villar’s former executive, was pretty damning and points to Villar’s pecuniary interests that would in turn benefit him and his companies.... MORE


SourceThe Daily Tribune

ALTERNATE URL: http://www.classicposters.com/commentary/20100127com1.html



Costly political mistake 01/27/2010


Costly political mistake


01/27/2010

Manny Villar has committed a huge political mistake in not appearing before the Senate to state his case. If he knows just how the Filipino mind works, he would have known that his refusal to answer the charges translates to the Filipino being convinced that indeed he is guilty as charged, and no amount of media interviews or expensive advertisements will convince the Filipino otherwise.

What is most damaging about the Senate committee of the whole (Scow) report is the charge that Villar had used his position for his personal and business gain, as evidence discloses that even as Speaker in the House of Representatives, as Senate finance committee chairman and Senate President, he did use his position to achieve that from which he profited personally and to the detriment of the Filipino taxpayers — that include even the very poor for whom he claims to bleed..... MORE


SourceThe Daily Tribune

ALTERNATE URL: http://www.classicposters.com/commentary/20100127com2.html


Scenarios unforeseen by Constitution framers 01/27/2010


Scenarios unforeseen by Constitution framers

01/27/2010

The people of a nation whose Constitution is undergoing revision expect their Constitution-revisers to be capable of visualizing every conceivable challenge to the meaning and intent of their country’s basic law. After all, there are many men and women involved in the exercise and they are given ample time to perform their mandated duties.

But people who draft or revise Constitutions are not omniscient and they have shown themselves to be incapable of anticipating every possible problem regarding the interpretation or applicability of a Constitution. Life on Earth being what it is, a Constitution is ever a work in progress, with revisions made thereto as circumstances demand or warrant..... MORE


SourceThe Daily Tribune




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