FILIPINOS HAVE LONG been in a fighting mood against systematic corruption mostly perpetrated by the political families at the helm of power.
To be perfectly honest, it’s far from the biblical story about David and Goliath. Filipinos with an empty stomach could not possibly wage — much less win a war against greedy politicians relentlessly siphoning our hard-earned contribution in the form of taxes.
All we could do for now is watch hypocrites masquerading as public servants. In the Senate, we’d probably notice Mark Villar during the congressional inquiry on ghost infrastructure projects.
Well, there’s nothing wrong with Villar attending the Senate “investigation in aid of legislation” regarding the massive corruption at the Department of Public Works and Highways. Afterall, he’s a sitting senator, but a former DPWH secretary too.
During his DPWH stint, billions disappeared.
‘The Senate found that Manny Villar manipulated the road’s alignment so it curved around Villar-owned properties, instead of taking the direct route, which allowed their business rake in P6.22 billion even without a single sale.’
INTIMIDATING SURNAME
With Mark Villar inside the Senate hall, invited resource persons — including those from the DPWH, contractors and other witnesses would think twice before speaking up. His surname alone is intimidating.
Mark Villar’s appointment to DPWH in 2016 does not mean he’s tailor-fit for the job. It was merely a political accommodation of former President Rodrigo Duterte to the richest individual in the country — former Senate President Manny Villar who was “instrumental” in Duterte’s presidential bid during the 2016 national election.
To some, it’s a dynasty meant to utilize government position to advance family’s business interests. Their empire in real estate gained from every road alignment and project approval. His father Manny Villar had already written the playbook with the C-5 extension mess.
The Senate found that Manny Villar manipulated the road’s alignment so it curved around Villar-owned properties, instead of taking the direct route, which allowed their business rake in P6.22 billion even without a single sale.
The value of corporations like Adelfa Properties, Golden Haven Memorial Park, and Azalea Real Estate Corporation sharply went up.
INHERITING THE SYSTEM
When it was time for his father to take the sideline, Mark Villar inherited more than wealth. He inherited the system of impunity.
No less than Senator Panfilo Lacson spotted P469-billion worth of red flags at the DPWH. From 2016 to 2021, DPWH was marred with insertions, re-insertions, repeat funding and ghost projects.
Mark Villar doesn’t have the moral ascendancy to attend congressional inquiries into ghost infrastructure projects.
He, however, may attend if his peers would invite him as a resource person and probably shed light on the massive and systematic corruption during his time.