Villar dev’ts ‘weigh down’ BF residents

The largest private subdivision in Las Piñas City has become collateral damage in the push to enhance the commercial interests of the Villar properties, including Vista Land’s

Camella Homes in Cavite, according to a homeowners association.

Euan Rex Toralballa, president of the BF Resort Homeowners Association, said the “Cavite Bridge” and the Villar Farm actually serve as the primary connectors to the Villar family’s largest mall in Bacoor, NOMO, owned by Vista Land.

Toralballa pointed out that the enormous NOMO mall, which is less than 500 meters from the Cavite Bridge in BF Resort Village, is sparsely occupied, with more empty spaces than tenants.

Surrounding NOMO are numerous Camella and Vista Land subdivisions, which have been the primary beneficiaries of the road links being developed across Villar City, a 3,500-hectare development planned to become the “new center of gravity” for Metro Manila.

Toralballa said it was no surprise when another bridge, the “Dear Joe Bridge,” was hastily constructed, despite the opposition of BF Resort Village homeowners.

The Dear Joe bridge connects the expansive Villar Football Field and the pay-per-entry Villar Children’s Farm in Molino, Bacoor to Las Piñas River Drive which runs adjacent to BF Resort Village.

Suspicions, doubts

“All these developments are interconnected within a few hundred meters of the grand vision for Villar City in Cavite. By the looks of it, BF Resort Village has become collateral damage, sacrificed for the commercial benefits of Villar properties,” Toralballa said.

Toralballa also slammed the use of public funds from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to develop the two bridges and the river drive which, he said, has contributed to the worsening flooding in the area in recent years.

Las Piñas City Councilor Mark Anthony Santos has raised concerns about the construction of the two bridges, suggesting that they primarily benefit the Villar family’s businesses, potentially creating a conflict of interest.

Santos noted that the bridges were built during the tenure of Mark Villar as DPWH secretary, further fueling suspicions of a conflict of interest.

“Until today, the actions and transactions of the Villar family are definitely the subject of suspicions and doubts,” Santos said.

Cavite Bridge, located near River Drive Road in BF Resort Village, had gotten the ire of homeowners, especially since the access to it was forcibly opened in 2019.

Santos had previously revealed that the Villar Group of Companies — including Brittany Corporation, Villar Sipag Center, Villar Sipag at Tiyaga Foundation, Mella Hotel, three Evia buildings, Portofino Commercial — owed the city government more than P70 million in taxes and penalties.

Records of the city treasurer’s office showed that Mella Hotel, located in Villar Sipag on C5 Extension Road in Las Piñas, has not paid real property taxes since it opened five years ago.

The Villar Group, led by billionaire businessman Manny Villar, also has stakes in Golden Bria Holdings, a property and death care company, and Vistamalls, a shopping mall operator.

AllValue Holdings Inc. serves as the holding company for the Villar Group’s retail investments, including AllHome, AllDay Supermarket, AllDay Convenience Store, Coffee Project, AllSports, AllToys, AllBank, Bake My Day, Find Finds, Kinder City and Wake Up Café, among others.

Both AllDay and AllHome were listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange in the past three years.

The City Assessor’s Office lists 18 other Villar properties with unpaid taxes in 2023, part of a total of 300 companies owing money to the city.