JV suspicious of report; Villar says not irregular

The United Nationalist Alliance yesterday assailed what it claimed was a “clumsy demolition job” against its three senatorial candidates.

Rep. JV Ejercito was particularly suspicious about the timing of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) report that he had an offshore account, which was not declared in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

PCIJ also reported that Sen. Manuel Villar and Rep. Estrada own secret offshore corporations in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

But UNA also pointed to alleged “high-profile attacks” against its two senatorial candidates, Nancy Binay and Rep. Jack Enrile.

Rep. Toby Tiangco, UNA’s campaign manager, cited no specific attacks against Binay and Enrile. But he alleged that they were coming from “trolls” belonging to the Liberal Party’s purported special media operations group (SMOG).

Suspicious timing

“The timing of this so-called exposé; is highly suspicious considering I am one of the UNA candidates consistently in the winning list of monthly surveys by different polling organizations and recently barged in to the top 3 in SWS Survey,” Ejercito said.

“Since detractors cannot find anything anomalous, onerous or irregular in any contract or transactions during my stint as mayor and as congressman, hence there is a need to dig into the past,” he added.

“Timing is really suspicious because I was a public official for 12 years, and it is only now the issues are being brought out since I am a leading candidate of the opposition. They first started the week by making up a story on my supposed snob (sic) of my niece to destroy my [character], now [it’s] the accounts and businesses. Didn’t they do these already in the past?”

Not irregular

Villar is said to be the beneficial owner of a BVI international business corporation called Awesome Dragon Holdings Limited which was incorporated in the BVI on July 26, 2007 while he was president of the Senate from July 2006 to Nov. 2008.

In a written reply to PCIJ’s questions, Villar admitted to being the “ultimate shareholder” of Awesome Dragon Holdings Limited but said it was a dormant company with a capital of just one US dollar. He said it was put in place in 2007 “as a ready corporate vehicle for any strategic multinational business opportunity that may become available.”

Villar whose second and last term as senator ends in June this year has fielded his wife Cynthia Villar for the Senate under Team Pinoy.

“I am indicated as owner of said company because we were informed that if a company wants to incorporate as a subsidiary-company in the British Virgin Islands, said company is required to identify the natural person or persons who is/are the ultimate shareholder/s of said company.”

The senator, who is one of the country’s richest lawmakers, said Awesome Dragon Holdings Limited was not activated because he decided to focus all his entrepreneurial efforts in the Philippines.

“As a businessman and eventually as a public official, I am proud to say that I invested heavily in the country economic-wise and generated employment opportunities for Filipinos,” he said./INQUIRER with Doris C. Bongcac