Mark Villar breaks silence, denies conflict of interest amid anomalous flood control probe

Senator Mark Villar has finally addressed allegations linking him and members of his family to anomalous flood control projects, asserting that he has no personal or familial financial interests in any company involved in government infrastructure contracts during his time as Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

“To set the record straight on recent matters and to reaffirm my unwavering commitment to transparency and good governance,” Villar said in a statement Thursday.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla earlier confirmed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating possible conflict of interest violations involving I&E Construction, a company allegedly linked to Senator Mark Villar’s cousin and former Las Piñas mayoral candidate Carlo Aguilar.

The company allegedly secured P18.5 billion worth of government contracts, including those under DPWH flood control projects.

In response, Villar said he welcomes and fully supports “any investigation into these issues, as I have nothing to hide and believe firmly in accountability and due process.”

“Let me be unequivocal: I have no direct or indirect ownership or controlling interest in any company participating in DPWH projects,” he stressed. 

Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) Executive Director Brian Hosaka also confirmed that Senator Villar may be invited as a resource person in their next round of hearings, given the latter’s past role as DPWH chief.

“As a possibility, yes... because he was a former secretary of DPWH,” Hosaka said in a previous media interview. 

Villar denied having secured any government contracts during his tenure as DPWH Secretary.

“The official record will confirm that none of my relatives acquired any contracts from 2016 to 2021, during my tenure as Secretary. My focus then was singular: to implement deep-seated reforms and rebuild public trust. We pursued this on multiple fronts,” he said. 

Villar then highlighted a series of reforms implemented during his term under the Duterte administration, including digitizing department data, launching a 24/7 complaints hotline, and employing drone surveillance to monitor projects.

“We also leveraged technology, utilizing drones for monitoring and actively inviting civil society organizations to enter and inspect project sites firsthand,” he added. 

Villar also noted. “Our mission was to create a culture of complete transparency, from right-of-way acquisition to geotagging.”

“I have full faith that my service record in those years bears witness to this focus and commitment. To build upon that work, I fully support the investigation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure,” he further said. 

Villar revealed his plans to file legislation to mandate universal drone monitoring for all major government projects, as a way to institutionalize the reforms introduced during his term.

The DOJ, meanwhile, clarified that earlier media reports, which initially flagged I&E Construction’s contracts, serve only as leads and not definitive evidence. 

“We still have to flesh it out. Because we can’t rely on a newspaper as a source of evidence. Media gives us the leads that we have to follow,” Remulla said.

Carlo Aguilar, reportedly connected to I&E Construction, ran and lost in the 2025 Las Piñas mayoral race under the Villar-led Nacionalista Party, losing to his cousin April Aguilar of the Nationalist People’s Coalition.