How transactional Philippine politics is, you ask Mang Isko? I will refer you to Senate Resolution 1472, that piece of document purportedly signed by twelve “See-Nay”-tors and allegedly cleared the name of Nacionalista party presidential bet and billionaire Senator Manny Villar.
The Resolution, which was purportedly written and pushed by no less than Liberal Party member Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, expressed the “sense of the Senate” and bore the signatures of Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid, Gregorio Honasan, Joker Arroyo, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Ramon Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada, Loren Legarda, Francis Pangilinan and Villar.
The “see-nay” tors who signed based their “sense” on oral testimony instead of overwhelming documentary evidence linking Villar to the mess which was presented before the Senate of the Whole.
Net—the Resolution says all twelve signatories believed in oral testimonies of four witnesses, meaning, these “see-nay” tors chose to listen to “chismis” instead of reading the entire transcripts and voluminous pieces of evidence presented before the Senate Committee of the Whole.
Resolution 1472 was released to the media a few days before yesterday’s (November 17) announcement of the Villar-Legarda tandem. It had impeccable timing. Yet, like all dastardly deeds, it stinks to the highest heavens.
Shortly after it was released, Senate president Juan Ponce-Enrile was apprised of the sneeky reso and threatened to resign. His colleagues prevailed him.
Eventually, Enrile learned that there was an element of deception here. Most of those who signed the Reso, omitting of course the familiar names of Pimentel, the Cayetano siblings, Pangilinan, Joker and Jinggoy and of course, who else but Loren, are claiming that they signed the reso purportedly after being told that it has the expressed support of the Senate president.
Enrile denied supporting Resolution 1472 which he, in fact, viewed as a direct affront to his leadership. That Reso, says Enrile, violated Senate rules and smacks of fraud. And who else to defend it but the venerable See-nay-tor Francis Kiko Pangilinan, whom pundits say, was the one who lobbied the others to sign.
Strange that a non-Nacionalista party member would push for a Resolution exonerating Villar when it is clear in the Senate rules that it is now the Senate of the Whole who will release the final report on the C-5 controversy.
Wagging tongues cannot but say that maybe Resolution 1472 was an “exchange deal” between the Nacionalista and the Liberal Party, ahead of the expected filing of an ethics case against Liberal Party presidential bet Noynoy Aquino, this time, on another “C-5″-like road controversy involving of course, the conversion of hectares of land in Hacienda Luisita for SLEX.
Remember that it was Cong. Crispin Remulla, a Nacionalista, who “exposed” the supposed complicity of Senator Aquino in that alleged overpricing of Hacienda Luisita land used for SLEX.
Seems like the Nacionalistas used Remulla’s expose as a “bait” for the Liberals to enter into an “exchange deal”–tit for tat—your overpriced C-5 in exchange for my overpriced SLEX. Sounds logical right? And with a Liberal (PANGILINAN) leading the pencil pushing and lobbying, all the more suspicious.
And it seems like the Nacionalista got Loren Legarda not because the beautiful environmentalist shares a common goal with their presidential bet Villar. Legarda was one of Villar’s rabid commenter at the Senate. And Legarda admitted that it was “all for show”, part of the “daily grind” of “usual questions”, of “common parliamentary debates”.
Statements such as these can’t prevent one from asking—did Loren baited Villar to make her his VP in exchange for one signature in that Resolution? That signature might have cost Villar a hand and a limb. Such political prostitution extraordinaire, if you ask me.
The sad thing about this—that Reso 1472 was junked. And the obvious loser was of course, Manny Villar, who mobilize all his resources just to make that Reso happen. Poor Manny. He tried to sneak himself out of the C-5 mess only to learn that, in the end, he still stinks and worst, left holding an empty bag (of tricks?).
As they say, when it stinks, it stinks really bad.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Don’t worry, Pat, Villar will be exonerated eventually by his peers in the senate in that C-5 mess, what with even the Liberal members backing him up on that signed resolution.
More telling is Kiko Pangilinan’s signature, pasting himself with the Liberal then washing the dirty hands of the opponent. Kiko is a true independent by nature hobnobbing with one party for convenience at the same time cavorting with the enemy for the same reason.
In the war between the birds and the beasts, Kiko is more batty than the bat, ahayhehehehe.
He’s not being called “Mr. Noted” for nothing, and, when President GMA’s images got sour, looked the other way.
Pat,
I believe you are wrong about that exchange deal. Noynoy is not Villar. He will not run away from a Senate ethics investigation. He has nothing to hide in the SLEx thing. Villar is crazy for inviting comparisons between his C5 at Taga and SLEx. He will end up looking like the real crook that he is.
Quote of the day:
“What’s so wrong was even the respondent cleared himself.”–Sen. Lacson.
Only in da Pilipins!
Sen. Villar was the 12th senator to sign the resolution. And yet, he had been claiming that he did not want to appear in the hearings because it’s all a political circus.
Given a chance of course, everyone would take their way out of trouble. But Villar’s seemingly principled stand against dirty politics and legislative grandstanding turned out to be nothing more than mere pretense in the end.
He railed against his colleagues for ganging up on him because of their political ambitions. The lynch mob however is gone and Sen. Villar is now good friends again with Sen. Legarda et al. Surveys and money work magic, don’t they?
The Truth, meanwhile, lies forlorn and forgotten.
Loren Legarda is truly a political whore.
She voted to have Manny Villar removed as Senate President.
Now, Loren thinks Manny Villar, once unqualified to be Senate President, is now qualified to be President of the Republic.
Is it any wonder that Loren Legarda’s ratings have been on the decline?
The theater of the absurd,
comedy and tragedy,
real time.
Joe
you got it!
Bringing Villar to a court of public opinion like the Senate is trial by publicity.
Bring it to a judicial court of law – and see if the Madrigal’s evidence can pass the rules of evidence.
The Resolution is junked with the aid of 12 culprit Senators. Remember the NAMES of the these Senators on election day. DO NOT
VOTE FOR THEM. They sold us down the river. They violated our
trusts. We, the people/voters must have the final say on the case.
It must be thoroughly investigated. Because, it concerns Villar,
who is an incumbent Senator. Using his position to feather his own
nest or business. It made him a billionaire, at our expense. Now,
he is using the money he stole from us. To fund his candidacy for
President. The man is a low level Opportunist.
Partisan Politics at its peak. This is what happens when partisan politics is present. Switching sides, opportunism, political prostitution. As of now, political officials are leaving the waning party and going to the more attractive party. Why are they transferring? I am sure it’s not because the platform of the other party accorded with theirs.
Legarda’s political prostitution is the most repulsive of all. When I saw her enumerating her reasons for a tandem with Manny Villar, she was not sure of what she was going to say and her reasons looked like they were invented on the spot producing vague, unsubstantial, cosmetic responses.
These are the people we voted as our leaders. Low level Opportunists.
Do we deserve these people? Or we deserve better leaders. It is our
choices!
I agree with BongV. Why not just bring it to a judicial court of law? I’m sure Villar would welcome it. It had been more than a year since the Senate investigation started and they haven’t proven anything yet. I think it would be better for both camps to just let the court decide.
It is an ethical issue. Using your position as a Sitting
Senator to sponsor road/highway projects built near your
properties/subdivisions. To make your properties/subdivisions
appreciate, or increase their VALUES. He used our tax money
to feather his nest. No wonder he is now a Billion Peso man.
I am sure that many others are like me — I like the idea of the next president having really come from a poor or low-middle class family. I also have concluded that Manny Villar has an appreciation for the OFW. When election day comes, the C5 controversy should be resolved clearly so I know who I then really have to vote for.
Natapos na yang C5 issue na… napatunayan na nga na walang kasalanan si Senator Villar, pero pinipilit parin ng mga kumakalaban sa kanya na meron… Si Jamby, masyadong malakas manira,, ano na bang naging magandang kontribusyon na nagawa niya? wala siyang alam gawin kundi manira ng manira! di maganda ang pag-uugali.
Kung may dapat ngang pagusapan dito ay yung tungkol sa SCTEX.
How much did the right of way cost the government? P83 million at P100 per square meter.. WTH! The going rate for similar land in Concepcion was P6 to P8. According to the Department of Agrarian Reform, the previous high it paid was P14 per square meter.
OO NGA. Noy will bring change. The kickbacks will become worse.
Lahat sila may kanya kanyang issue, ang maganda sa partido ni Villar ay napatunayan na wala siyang kasalanan! at naimbistigahan ito ng husto.
Populist politicians like Villar and Erap Estrada Will always
use these election tactics:(a)had come from the poor; and (b) I am for the poor gimmick. What has these two politicians done to the poor?
The Squatters living around the Garbage Dumps.Along the Railroad
Tracks and around the Laguna de Bay areas. The lives of these people
did not improve during their incumbencies as Senators and President.
They used the Poor as GIMMICK to attract Votes. And as Captive Voters. So, Erap Estrada goes to them to distribute: rice, noodles,
tuyo, etc…during elections. Villar identifies himself with them
to gather Votes. So much for this old nonsense political gimmicks.
We have to wake up to identify political opportunists. If we want
our political system to improve.And we can elect good leaders.
What has Villar done during his incumbency as Senator to
improve the conditions of the OFWs? Did he legislate some
laws to improve their conditions?
It is one thing to appreciate. It is another thing to do
something about it!
i am voting for villar, for me he is a qualified candidate for president. lets say we put one mark on his face…c-5 road.that will show his violation. but before we criticise him lets do it to other candidates as well, after that compare their marks on their face…some may have, some don’t have, some had plans, some had promises.
i can’t vote for promising president, i can’t either vote to those who have marks on his face. why? because i know villar is a proven leader, he is not promising and whatever mark he got on his face, other politicians had done that several times, over and over. and people believed them still. while manny villar had the evidence to prove himself. this is a big lesson for manny and so far his intentions are good.
we need a good management, we need improvement, we need jobs. we don’t need promises and programs. we need it to be real. manny villar is a proven business man, proven company owner.
he is not cinderella nor a fairy godfather…he is a real man who work hard towards success. he is the man who can built city into modernization; quality and improve environment.
hindi ko lang maintindihan kasi kung gusto natin ng pagbabago dapat ang iboto yong may magandang achievement sa totoong buhay yong kaya gumawa ng plano at ipatupad ito..si manny villar nagaw lahat ng ito…ang c-5 ay isang proyekto na dapat paglaanan ng pundo..kahit pa man nagka-issue sigurado naman tayo na hindi ito sub-standard project…other than that villar had no other violation at all. kung malapit man ang c-5 sa property nya san pinagbawalan na ito noon pa.
palagi na lang ba tayo maghihintay ng pangako? hanggang matapos ang kanilang termino walng nagawa kondi magstate-visit?
siguro si villar di na nya kailangan magstate visit…
siguro di na nya kailangan mangurakot…
siguro di na nya kailangan mag-promise…
dahil kaya nya ipatupad lahat ng proyekto.
hindi natin kailangan ng aktor…
hindi natin kailangan ng adviser..
ang kailangan natin magaling na leader…
sana magsawa na ang pilipino maging scavenger, feasting the left overs of the politician.
manny villar still fighting to prove himself that he love the philippines and he wants to help our economy.
i am sure that his controversial issue give him the lesson.
buying votes?
i hope those politician who try to give 500php, pakiusap wag nyo naman babuyin ang larawan ni ninoy….gumawa kayo ng sarili nyong money paper at paiimprenta ng mga mukha nyo. o di kaya gawin nyo nalang buong 1,000php…
dig the history of your politicians before putting down villar.