THE Office of the Ombudsman has formed a dedicated task force to investigate infrastructure and land development projects allegedly linked to the Villar family, particularly in Las Piñas and Bacoor, Cavite.
In a press conference, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said the task force will look into, among others, the controversial Zapote–Las Piñas River Drive project, which was initiated by former senator Cynthia Villar and whose route reportedly passes through property owned by her family.
Remulla noted that the project’s alignment appears to cut across land held by the Villar group, raising concerns over potential conflict of interest, transparency in procurement and land use, and whether proper safeguards were followed.
“We will form a task force just for the Villars. The Zapote River Drive, together with the Bacoor properties, the boundaries of the rivers, dinaanan ng river, were improvements made in that area,” he said.
“That's one thing that has to be looked at. 'Pag taga-roon ka, alam mo kanilang lupa 'yun. Nakita mo 'yung river wall, tanong mo, sino gumastos? Gobyerno o sila? It's as simple as that. We will determine that later. Sa costing ng project, ano nangyari doon?” he added.
(That’s one thing that has to be looked into. If you’re from there, you know that the land belongs to them. You see the river wall and you ask, who paid for it — the government or them? It’s as simple as that. We’ll determine that later. When it comes to the project’s costing, what really happened there?)
Las Piñas Representative Mark Anthony Santos earlier blamed the Zapote River Drive for worsening flooding in the city due to narrower waterways.
Villar, mother of Senators Camille and Mark, earlier defended the project, saying it helped ease traffic congestion in the area. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)