MANILA, Philippines—Senator Panfilo Lacson need not inhibit himself once he takes over the Senate ethics committee and deal with the complaint against Senator Manuel Villar Jr. over the C-5 road extension project, Senator Mar Roxas said Friday.

“Whatever the position of the chair of the ethics committee (Lacson), it will be the truth that will come out in the inquiry,” Roxas told reporters.

Lacson had been appointed as chair of the Senate ethics committee. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said that the Senate inquiry into the ethics complaint against Villar will push through.

It was Lacson who exposed the double appropriation for the P200 million road extension project in the 2008 national budget that Villar later admitted to have requested additional funding for. But Villar denied any wrongdoing.

The complaint filed against Villar before the Senate ethics committee had been pending for more than a month still since Senator Maria Ana Consuelo Madrigal filed it.

Madrigal accused Villar of conflict of interest, failure to divest interest and malicious, deliberate and fraudulent double insertions after claiming that the ousted Senate president’s real estate empire benefited from the construction of the C-5 road extension in Parañaque.

Senator Francis Pangilinan had asked Lacson to inhibit himself when his ethics committee handles the complaint.

Meanwhile, Enrile told dzBB radio that Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago would probably retain her chairmanship of the Senate foreign relations committee and the joint legislative oversight committee on the Visiting Forces Agreement.

“The (chairmanship of the) energy committee may be taken away from her,” Enrile said of Santiago, who did not participate in Monday’s voting for Enrile as Senate president and to this day had not indicated whether she was allied with the majority or minority camps.

Enrile said he tried but so far failed to talk to Santiago. He admitted he felt that the latter had been trying to avoid him.

Santiago had been absent in the last three session days this week, her aides saying she was down with intestinal flu.

Enrile on Thursday said Santiago had written him only to convey to him her request that she keep her chairmanship of the Senate foreign relations and energy committees.

The new majority under Enrile is expected to finalize on the floor on Monday the committee assignments of senators.