Senator Manuel Villar Jr. is confident that he will be vindicated despite the pieces of evidence presented against him by Sen. Ma. Ana Consuelo Madrigal in connection with his ethics case. Villar snubbed Monday’s hearing of the committee of the whole, saying that he does not recognize the body. Villar spent enourmous cash for a weekend in Bohol organizing his political comrades composing half of the province political leaders. Twenty Five Mayors in the province of Bohol from the Lakas political party sworn on Sunday, 31st of May 2009, to the newly re-organized Nationalista Party of Senator Manny Villar a presidential aspirant for 2010 elections. In a grand ceremony at the Bohol Tropics Resort Club hosted by Villar, the 25 Mayors from the different municipalities in the province bade goodbye to their party, Lakas, one of the two strong and biggest political parties in the country. In an interview with Carmen Town Mayor Manuel Molina, he said a short ceremony took place during the gathering, wherein, 24 new party members and 8 other municipal mayors, several vice mayors and councilors took oath and signified their intent support to Villar.
Villar the former Senate president is accused of allegedly making an insertion of P200 million in the Republic Act 9498 or the General Appropriations Act of 2008 for the construction of the C5 extension from South Luzon Expressway to Sucat Road, including the right of way when such project is already covered in the same law with the same amount. He, however, said he is elated that instead of further nailing him to the controversy, the evidence presented by Madrigal even backed his earlier claim that there were two road projects. Senator Villar reiterated that he did not commit any wrongdoing with regards to the project. He also denied that he and his company received P400 million for the C5 project.
