Produce C-5 documents, Loren tells Ebdane

Sen. Loren Legarda today asked Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane to shed light on allegations raised concerning the C-5 road project by providing documentary evidence.

Specifically, Legarda sought from Ebdane during the Senate Finance Committee hearing chaired by Senator Juan Ponce Enrile the program of works to be funded by the alleged double allocation, worth P200 million each.

Enrile limited the scope of his committee's hearing to financial concerns and to determine if additional allocation was indeed "inserted" for the project.

Legarda also asked Ebdane to produce the list of lands that may be affected by the C-5 Road Project and who will stand to benefit from it.

Reports have it that Senate President Manuel Villar is among those who stand to benefit from payments to be made to private land owners, whose properties either were gobbled up by the road project or whose rights of way were compromised.

The C-5 road extension project aims to link Coastal Road to Cavite.

Some lawmakers had said that additional allocations for government projects per se are not illegal, but only if they had been tainted by conflict of interest as in the purported issue being raised against Villar.

Villar was said to be responsible for the second allocation.

Enrile said that other Senate committees may take over from where his committee would leave off, with Senator Panfilo Lacson commenting that the matter may be elevated to the Senate Ethics Committee if so warranted.