Villar Plunder Suit.

Villar unfazed by landgrab, plunder suit
http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20100213hed1.html
By Angie M. Rosales
02/25/2010
Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr.’s camp remains unfazed by the latest charges filed against him, his wife and sons, on alleged land-grabbing in relation to the highly controversial C-5 road extension project.
The Nacionalista Party (NP) standard bearer, speaking through his counsel, Nalen Galang, does not consider the filing of a plunder case against him before the Office of the Ombudsman a major setback in his candidacy.
They expressed confidence that the issue will eventually be disposed of by the Ombudsman with impartiality.
“We are yet to receive a copy of the complaint, but we welcome the filing of the case as it presents an opportunity for the parties to be heard and the issues tried by an impartial body.
“We are very confident that in the end, the senator and his companies will be cleared of any liability,” Galang said.
Plunder and land-grabbing charges were filed last Feb. 2 against Villar, his wife, Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar, and their two sons, Manuel Paolo and Mark, along with the senator’s real estate companies Britanny Corp., Adelfa Properties Inc. and Masaito Development Corp by businesswoman and civic leader Mary Lou Bhalwart-Estrada.
Estrada, president and CEO of Rhema International Livelihood Foundation Inc. (Rhema), has accused Villar and the others of alleged property-transgression in the C5 extension road project docketed under Reference No. C-10-0176 dated Feb. 2.
Estrada’s spokesman Jonathan Navea, chairman of Damayan Alliance for Social Justice, said the plunder and landgrabbing case stemmed from the C5-LasPiñas-Parañaque road extension project that passed through properties Estrada said she owns through Rhema Livelihood Foundation Inc.
“The compensation of the transgressed properties and the right of way (RoW) went to Villar instead of Estrada, the real owner,” Navea said.
Navea said the property that was seized from her cost almost P200 million in real estate value. Estrada said proof of her ownership over the property was the Deed of Donation originated from TCT Land Title no. 8037 with Segregated Plan No. 25211 owned by a certain Fortunato Santiago, which was then occupied by Rhema’s beneficiaries.
Estrada also accused Villar of alleged landgrabbing when a group of armed men forced themselves with a bulldozer bragging in the vernacular: “we are Villar’s men” when they were accosted during the property seizure late last year.
Meanwhile, on the matter of who should have the dominant minority party status, which the Liberal Party is claiming, the NP-NPC coalition, an NP press statement said, “this is not an afterthought,” as claimed by the LP.
“It was a product of careful planning, preparation, design, and execution. It is not bogus and imaginary as claimed, on the contrary, it is a partnership mutually agreed upon by the parties’leadership.
The coalition had been in the pipeline since last year and only came to fruition after the NP and NPC realized that they had to form a coalition to combat the “politics of fear” being sown by other political parties. How can they (LP) deny a coalition between NP and NPC, when Loren Legarda, a known NPC stalwart, is the running mate of NP standard-bearer Manny Villar?
“LP does not own the dominant minority status or the concept of democracy. The coalition between NP and NPC is democracy at work. The freedom to unite in action to achieve common goals is part and parcel of democracy. While some may have gained accustomed to wielding certain rights and privileges under the multi-party system, the same cannot be monopolized in perpetuity by any single group or class of citizens.
The NP-NPC Coalition has chosen to give full faith and credit, and the highest respect to the Commission on Elections, thus, has kept public comment on the subject to an utmost minimum. It would do well for other parties to give the Commission due respect and refrain from discussing these matters until it has resolved the same in due time.
The LP leadership is simply nervous and afraid. The NP-NPC coalition now boasts of a total of 3,941 incumbent national and local officials; and 10,425 candidates for local elective positions nationwide. Clearly, the NP-NPC Coalition is the Dominant Minority Party. With the coalition of the NP and NPC, only the Lakas-Kampi-CMD rivals the political machinery of the NP-NPC Coalition. It will not be a far-fetched idea if, in the next few weeks, other political parties would also want to ally with the NP-NPC Coalition.