MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 4) The Senate probe into the double entry of a P200-million appropriation for a road project in the 2008 national budget ended Monday without establishing any irregularity.

The only thing the Senate finance committee confirmed was the double entry in the 2008 budget for the C-5 road extension project in Parañaque City, Senator Juan Ponce-Enrila, the committee chairman, said.

But whether there had been any wrongdoing, “so far, there’s none, as far as this chair is concerned,” Enrile told reporters after the four-hour proceeding.

And while there was also no dispute that it was Senate President Manuel Villar who proposed the additional funding for the C-5 project, Enrile said his committee failed to establish who, if anyone, had benefited from the project.

“There’s no dispute that the second P200 million was an initiative or an amendment of the Senate president. There’s no question that the Senate president and his family [have] some properties along the way,” he said.

But “when he acquired these, we don’t know. That has not been established. Whether he acquired this after [the] C-5 [extension] was planned, or was under construction, or even before that, or only recently, that has not been established,” he stressed.

Enrile also explained that one of the reasons the committee failed to establish if there was “intent to profit [from the C-5 road extension] on the part of anybody” was because no evidence was presented.

“The committee does not fish for evidence,” he said. “You make an allegation, you have to prove it. He who alleges has the burden of proof.”

The hearing into the double appropriation was an offshoot into accusations hurled against Villar by Senator Panfilo Lacson. Following this, Senator Ma. Ana Consuelo Madrigal delivered a privilege speech alleging Brittany Corp., a company owned by Villar, profited from the project.

At the hearing, Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya confirmed that the P200-million allocation for the C-5 extension was doubled in the 2008 budget. “Kinukupirma ko na dalawa ang entry na nasa budget. Kinukumpirma ko na napapaloob ang dalawang alokasyon na P200 million para po sa isang road project [I confirm that there are two entries in the budget. I confirm that they are two allocations of P200-million each for a road project],” Andaya said.

“Ngayon, yun lang po kaya kong sabihin. Ngayon, kung ito po ay one and the same project, what part of the road project, hindi ko na kaya sagutin [Now, that is all I can say. Whether these were one and the same project, what part of the road project, I can not say],” he said responding to questions of Senator Loren Legarda.

However, questioned by Legarda’s, Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said the first P200 million was allocated for the flyover in Sucat road.

“Your honor, when we received the communication on the additional P200million…since we have already allotted P200million [for] the flyover Sucat road, we requested that we utilize that P200 million on another site,” Ebdane said.

Legarda pointed out that the budget was for the construction of the road project but not the flyover.

Enrile informed the committee that the same double insertion was also found in the 2000 General Appropriation Act for the San Miguel-Constancia-Igcawayan-Cabano road in San Lorenzo and asked how then former budget secretary Benjamin Diokno, who was at the hearing, handled the matter.

But Diokno said he could not answer the committee chair’s query, saying he has to refresh his memory.

Members of the Senate committee unanimously adopted a motion to publish all amendments made by senators in the same appropriation.

The motion was presented by Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas II in response to Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s challenge for legislators to come out and reveal their amendments amid alleged irregularities in the double appropriation for the C-5 road project.

Legarda seconded Roxas’ motion.

Roxas and Legarda are signatories to the resolution calling for an investigation into the C-5 road extension.