Senator Cynthia Villar’s camp has defended the construction of two bridges currently under scrutiny, stating that they were built primarily to serve the public and not their private enterprises.

“To benefit the public, these bridges and the private road were constructed by the Villar family using their personal funds to provide an alternate route, ease traffic, and reduce travel time between Las Piñas and Cavite,” Senator Villar said in a statement sent to the DAILY TRIBUNE.

She said that both the bridge and the road, which are located on the Villar family’s private property, are open to the public 24/7, and their construction did not involve government funding.

“The Villar family remains committed to initiating infrastructure projects and graciously allowing the use of their private roads to provide convenience and ease the traffic burden for the public,” the statement said.

The senator emphasized the bridges were privately funded and built by her family to serve as access to their private land, and were not constructed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

“The two bridges were not built by the DPWH; they lead to our Villar Farm School and Tourist Farm. The use of these bridges is granted with tolerance; we simply make them available to the public, but they remain private property,” she explained.

On the issue of the trees, Villar said: “We have already replaced the trees. We planted 900 Nedra trees in the area and donated P30,000 worth of local trees to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).”

However, Las Piñas City Councilor Mark Anthony Santos said that bridges on national roads are managed by the DPWH, while bridges on local roads fall under the jurisdiction of local government units, in accordance with the administrative classification of roads and bridges.

P35M donation

Euan Rex Toralballa, president of the BF Resort Homeowners Association, also raised concerns about the bridges, asking if their construction was a government project or a private initiative.

He pointed out the two bridges lead to Vista Land’s Camella Homes and other Villar family properties in Cavite.

Santos had earlier asked if Villar’s financial contributions entitled her to claim ownership of the access routes to the bridges.

“Madam senator, did you donate P35 million to make it easier to track down your failing businesses in Las Piñas and Cavite?” he asked.

Toralballa recalled that three years ago, Villar showed a check for P35 million to the residents of BF Resort Village, claiming it was her payment to the contractor for the Cavite bridge project.

“But who owned the construction company? Was it a private company or a Villar family-owned firm? Was it just to show the public that they ‘donated’ P35 million for their own benefit?” he asked.

Toralballa also claimed that Villar did not secure any permits or clearances from the cities of Las Piñas and Bacoor, Cavite, when the Cavite bridge was constructed in 2019.

However, Toralballa’s speaking for the homeowners organization has been questioned, as his term as president of the BF HOA expired on 11 February this year.