MANILA - Some senators on Tuesday claimed there was deception in the resolution signed by 12 senators, which sought to dismiss the ethics charges against Sen. Manuel "Manny" Villar.

Villar faced an ethics complaint in connection with the alleged “double insertion” in the budget of funding for the C-5 extension road that allegedly benefited his real estate business

Villar himself signed the resolution, along with Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid, Gregorio Honasan II, Joker Arroyo, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Ramon Revilla Jr., Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, Francis Pangilinan and Loren Legarda.

Villar and Legarda announced on Tuesday afternoon their tandem for the 2010 national elections.

“Sa aming mga kasamahan, sa majority na nakapirma, ang balita daw, hindi daw nila ilalabas iyan hanggang nailabas na ang committee report. So mukhang na 1-2-3 sila,” said Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who belongs to the Senate minority with Villar, agreed with Zubiri.

"… or dineceive nila by pointing to 1 or 2 signatories para ma-impress na ito’y alam ni Senate President Enrile. At least, may imprimatur, which is not the case because galing ako kay Senate president at nagagalit siya,” said Lacson.

Lacson said Enrile was angry when he heard about the resolution, and that he almost resigned.

Enrile was installed as Senate President on the day last year when 13 senators, including those who were expected then to either run for president or vice president like Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, Loren Legarda and Francis “Chiz” Escudero, voted for his ouster.

“At muntik na nga siyang...nag-isip pa nga siyang mag-resign kaninang umaga because next to 12 signatures is the 13th signature hindi ba? At pwede siyang matanggal bilang Senate President,” Lacson added.

Sen. Gregorio Honasan, one of the 12 senators who signed the resolution favoring Villar, and who is known to be close to Enrile, said he believed that the resolution would only be released after the probe report comes out.

“I was operating under the assumption that the committee report would be rendered first before that resolution would have been filed,” said Honasan.

When asked if this was the information given to him, Honasan did not confirm and only said: “No, iyon ang paniniwala ko.”

Estrada meanwhile admitted that he also signed the resolution seeking to absolve Villar. He too said however that there was a condition before the resolution would be released.

"Naniniwala kami sa 12 senador na pumirma na hindi nila ilalabas iyong resolusyon until after the committee report of the Committee of the Whole headed by the Senate President filed the report,” said Estrada.

Estrada said he was considering withdrawing his signature from the resolution.

The ethics case against Villar was heard by the Senate as a committee of the whole.

The problem, however, was that Enrile, who, as Senate president, chaired the probe by the Senate Committee of the Whole, was not informed of the resolution of the 12 senators.

“Hindi ko pa nababasa iyon eh, pero I think it is better for us to discuss it this afternoon,” said Enrile before the start of the Senate’s Tuesday session.

During the session, Enrile was observed to be calm, but was apparently upset.

“Gentlemen, I don’t want to sit in this chair if you do not want me. But you have given me a responsibility to perform. And as gentlemen of this House, you should have at least accorded some degree of respect to the chair of this House,” said the Senate President during the session.

Enrile believed that the resolution of the 12 senators was an insult not to him but to the Senate as an institution.

Enrile said the resolution signed by 12 senators seeking to dismiss the ethics complaint filed by Senator Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal against Villar will not be the basis of the committee report. He said the committee report will be based on the evidence presented and not on the resolution.

Madrigal, who was in Europe Tuesday, had earlier condemned as "political prostitution" the resolution of the 12 senators.

In a statement, Madrigal criticized Legarda for shifting sides and joining Villar despite being one of the latter's former critics.

"My fight against corruption is non-negotiable. I congratulate Mr. Villar for his fantastic lobbying in turning someone like Senator Legarda, who was rabidly against him into his girl Friday. As they say, Manny talks and money talks louder. I will not subscribe to political prostitution when the country's interest is at stake. Public service is not a numbers game," Madrigal said in a statement.

Villar’s ally Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano took the cudgels for the Nacionalista Party standard bearer.

In an interview on ANC's News@8 on Tuesday, Cayetano said there was obviously no case against Villar.

"The accusation was simple - the road was diverted, there's double insertion, and there was overprice. If you look at all the witnesses, all called by (Sen. Jamby) Madrigal, the BIR said there was no overprice; the DPWH said there were 2 roads, not 1 road; Enrile said there was no double insertion," Cayetano said.

He also expressed hope that the matter will now be put to rest. He suspects though that the charges were linked to the 2010 elections.

"We are entering presidential elections and we have very good candidates. It's fair that the Senate doesn't make itself into a political tool." -- from a report of Jorge Cariño, ABS-CBN News with a report from Henry Omaga Diaz, ABS-CBN News