NOW WHAT?!

My problem with these corruption cases and what really pisses me off is that: WHY DO THEY CATCH THEM AFTER THE FACT when most plunderers have already benefited from stolen public money? WHERE IS COA? THE COMMISSION ON AUDIT?! How come there are no proactive moves from the government to stop corruption? With dozens and dozens of legislators, senators, congressman and a lot of departments here, chairman there, secretary here, does anybody from the government knew and/or heard about “PROPER INTERNAL CONTROLS” or was this knowingly and blatantly erased from their vocabulary eh kasi pano naman sila? Just how many corruption cases have we learned to have been discovered after the fact?!

Villar faces censure over road mess
By Christine Avendaño

EXCERPTS:

1. “Senator Manny Villar is facing censure at the Senate after he was found guilty for allegedly engaging in improper and unethical conduct in connection with the C5 road extension project, according to a draft report by the Senate committee of the whole.”

2. “The draft report, asked Villar to return to the public coffers the total amount of P6.22 billion that “he has or his companies have illegally gained or obtained as a result of unlawful acts and improper and unethical conduct.””

3. “Villar’s involvement in the C5 project in Parañaque and Las Piñas, made the Filipino suffer (a loss) in the total amount of P6.22 billion.’’ The money came from the cost for the realigned P4.28 billion for the extension project, the P1.8 billion spent for the original project but was wasted due to the realignment and the P141.1 million in allegedly overpriced right-of way-payments for Villar’s real estate.”

4. “The report recommended that Villar be censured for violating the provisions of the Constitution and the Code of Conduct of Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, and for engaging in improper and unethical conduct that damaged the integrity of the Senate.”

5. “The report said Villar violated Section 14, Article VI of the Constitution for intervening in the project of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for his “pecuniary benefit’’”

6. “It noted that Villar had proposed that the extension project “pass through properties of his corporations, which in turn benefited from the use of such road, from the compensation for road right of way, and from the resultant economic development in and increased market value of the vicinity.’”

7. “The report said the senator also violated the conflict-of- interest rule by not divesting himself of his interests in Adelfa Properties, Golden Haven Memorial Park and Azalea Real Estate Corp. (now Brittany Corp.) when it was apparent to him that these corporations had contract with the DPWH for right-of-way acquisition.”

8. “It said Villar violated Sec. 12, Article VI of the Constitution by failing to notify the Senate of a “potential conflict of interest’’ when he proposed an amendment to the 2008 national budget by appropriating P400 million . . . for a project that would benefit his corporations and which amount may be used to pay the claims of his corporations for unpaid road right-of-way compensation.’’”

9. “Villar was the proponent of the Las Pinas-Parañaque Link Road Project and the DPWH C5 road extension project which were made to pass through the properties of his corporations “following a curved, instead of a straight alignment.’’”

10. “The alignment of the C5 segment of the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway Project of the Toll Regulatory Board was changed to accommodate the two road projects“

11. “The properties of Villar’s corporations that were acquired for the Las Piñas-Parañaque link project and the C5 extension project were given zonal valuation for different areas (not the zonal valuation of the area where they were located), jacking up the compensation due them.”

12. “The committee also found out that Villar had allowed Adriano to propose an amendment to the 2008 national budget.

13. “The report stated that Villar had pushed for the appropriation of P400 million for the C5 road project, when there was no specific program of work for the project and despite the fact that there was already an allocation for the same amount for the project.”

14. “The committee learned that the reason for such an amendment was to make available an appropriation for the payment of an outstanding right of way compensation claims of about P200 million.“

15. “As admitted by Adriano, it was in the interest of the corporations of Senator Villar to be paid for such road right of way. This interest may be opposed to or affected by the faithful performance of official duty on the part of Senator Villar who has the power to appropriate public funds by proposing amendments to the national budget,’’ the report said, adding:

`As it happened, Senator Villar used that power to satisfy the interest of his corporations. He did not therefore only violate the conflict of interest rule, thus violating Section 9 in relation to Section 3 of RA 6713 but Senator Villar also became directly or indirectly interested financially in such contracts between his corporations and the DPWH, hence violating Section 14, Article VI of the Constitution.’’

Noting that Villar had proposed the C5 project when he was still a member of the House of Representatives, he “continued to fund’’ the project when he was already a senator, or chair of the finance committee or Senate president and “yet did not disclose his pecuniary interest as so required by the Constitution.”

16. The committee found the senator funded the two projects chargeable against “various infrastructure, including local projects –nationwide’’ or against the Priority Development Assistance Fund authorized by the national budget from 2001 to 2008.“

Read the rest of the story here: Villar faces censure over road mess

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reynz is one Uragon and a Filipino-American, has many years of public accounting & auditing, broadcast investments, housing tax credits and equity investments as his background. Based in the US, he maintains his personal and humor blog at reyna elena dot com. A graduate of Aquinas U, he went to GWU and Temple U in the United States.