Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Senate panel defers dismissal of Jarvinia case vs Villar

A Senate panel on Tuesday deferred its action on the dismissal of the ethics complaint filed against Senator Manny Villar Jr. in connection with his alleged land-grabbing case in Bulacan province.

The decision was made after senators noted the similarities of the evidence in the so-called Jarvinia case with those presented during last week’s hearing of the committee on the whole on a separate ethics complaint against Villar.

Senators Panfilo Lacson, ethics committee chairman, Manuel Roxas II, Gregorio Honasan II and Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri agreed to “temporarily hold in abeyance the decision on the complaint until we can firmly ascertain its connection with the evidence presented on Thursday."

Roxas said the case could be connected with the subject of the ethics complaint filed by Senator Ma. Ana Consuelo “Jamby" Madrigal that was tackled by the committee of the whole last Thursday.

In the complaint, which was also filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, private citizen Gina Jarvinia accused Villar and his wife, Las PiƱas Representative Cynthia Villar, of land-grabbing in Norzagaray, Bulacan.

Lack of quorum

Laywer Jhomuel Mendoza, committee general counsel, recommended the dismissal of the Jarvinia complaint three months ago but the panel was not able to act on it due to lack of quorum.

Mendoza said he recommended the dismissal of the compliant since based on documents, Villar’s alleged acts were committed before he became a senator.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said after Thursday's hearing that acts committed by a senator before he or she assumes his or her post are beyond the jurisdiction of the Senate.

The ethics committee's legal counsel will submit next week a matrix on the similarities of Jarvina's complaint with that of Madrigal's.

'Simple politicking'

Villar, for his part, accused the panel of politicking in deferring the dismissal of the Jarvinia case.

"I see no other reason why fellow presidentiables seem to be employing foot-dragging tactics in the dismissal of the Jarvinia case but plain and simple politicking," Villar said in a text message to reporters.

He noted that the case had been junked by the Ombudsman in 2008, and that several senators had already expressed their intention to dismiss the case as early as May 2009.

"The move to defer action on the recommendation to dismiss (the case) is nothing but another desperate attempt by my political rivals to malign my reputation," said Villar, who is being groomed to run for president in next year's national elections.

Liban vs Gordon

The committee on the other hand approved the junking of the complaint filed against Senator Richard Gordon by former Quezon City Representative Dante Liban as the Supreme Court had already issued its decision on the matter.

Liban had accused Gordon of holding two positions in the government, being a lawmaker and a chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross.- GMANews.TV

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