MANILA, Philippines?The camp of Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. Tuesday demanded an apology from his detractors in the Senate after a revenue official admitted before the chamber that there was no overpricing in the C-5 road controversy.

Testifying at the resumption of the Committee of the Whole?s ethics inquiry into alleged conflict of interest on the part of Villar, Carmelita R. Bacod, former Parañaque Revenue District Officer, belied Sen. Jamby Madrigal?s accusation that there was an overprice in the zonal valuation of the lots belonging to Villar?s real estate empire.

Bacod said she had pegged the zonal valuation of lots owned by Masaito Development Corp. at P30,000 per square meter.

?If I were to issue the certification today, I will issue the same certification on the same amount of P30,000 per square meter,? she said.

Basis for certification

?My basis for issuing this certification of P30,000 is the variation submitted to us by the City Assessor?s Office classifying the same property as commercial and residential as to its actual use,? Bacod explained.

Madrigal?s lawyer, Ernesto Francisco, had earlier claimed that Villar might have falsified the zonal valuation to drastically jack up the real estate value of the lots, which were sold to the government as C-5?s right of way.

Residential lots in Parañaque have a zonal valuation of about P4,000 per square meter.

?The reason why it is P30,000 per square meter is because it is not fully developed. Some are commercial, that is why it is P30,000. It (Maisato property) is valued at P30,000 per square meter because it is along a commercial area,? she said.

She said the basis was BIR?s determination that the property is located in Barangay San Dionisio, Parañaque, which is a commercial area.

Apology in order

After the hearing, lawyer Adel Tamano, spokesperson of Villar?s Nationalista Party, demanded an apology from Francisco for accusing the senator of falsifying documents.

?I think it really is time to make an apology, as a gentleman, Attorney Francisco should apologize to Adelfa (Properties), apologize to Senator Villar, because last week he was claiming that the certification was falsified. He is claiming that the BIR was bribed, that the certification issued was false,? said Tamano.

Tamano noted that Francisco appeared stunned by Bacod?s testimony.

?Thus, we can see political (undertones) in the ongoing (ethics) investigation. It is really a waste of time. Instead of proving their case, they were totally demolished by their own very witness,? said Tamano.