Gordon vows to remain independent on Senate investigation vs Villar

Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon today vowed that he would remain impartial in the ongoing probe of the Senate committee of the whole on the complaint filed against Sen. Manny Villar for the alleged double budget insertion in the C-5 road extension project.

"I would like to manifest that I am going to vote independently, fairly and firmly on this matter. There is no bias on my part on this hearing," he said.

Gordon, vice-chairman of the Senate ethics committee, said it is unfair that he and other members of the panel are being accused of using the complaint against Villar to their political advantage.

"I would just like to make it clear that even before we convened into the committee of the whole, the Senate ethics committee has given Sen. Villar the chance to defend himself," he said.

"I even heard him say that he is not afraid to face any inquiry here at the Senate. But his actions are different from what he says. He does not attend the hearings or inquiries on the case against him," he added.

Gordon explained that the ethics panel was never remiss in its duty to keep the hearings fair to all senators facing charges before the committee.

He stressed that they even manifested that there should be a member of the Senate minority in the ethics panel to further ensure impartiality in the hearings and proceedings of the committee.

"The members of the ethics panel manifested that the minority should have a representative in the committee. We have given them the chance. I want to make that very, very clear so that we would not be accused of using the Senate for whatever personal or political gains," Gordon said.