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  Sen. Cynthia Villar stressed anew the importance of wetlands in providing wildlife habitats, including as sanctuary of migratory birds. On the occasion of the World Migratory Bird Day, Villar said the Las Pinas-Paranaque Wetland Park (LPWP) located South of Manila Bay, has served as resting and feeding grounds for migratory birds coming from Japan, China, and Siberia. “Wetlands have a unique characteristic and serve a lot of functions that is why these areas are protected and preserved,” Villar said. Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, authored Republic Act 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas Act or E-NIPAS Act, which lists the Las Pinas-Paranaque Wetland Park as a protected area. The park is a 175- hectare nature reserve providing sanctuary to 82 species of wild bird including Philippine ducks, Chinese egret, and the Black-winged stilts.   It has 36 hectares of mangrove forest, the thickest and most diverse among ...

Senator Cynthia Villar has called on the public to help protect wildlife habitats and biodiversity to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Villar, chair of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, made the reaction after she cited a study which showed that the continuous destruction of wildlife habitats and biodiversity loss contribute to the spread of infectious diseases. “We designate some areas in our country as protected areas because it is important for these places to remain untouched and unexploited. There’s already a wealth of studies out there asserting that infectious diseases such as Ebola, HIV, swine fever and avian flu originated from animals,” said Villar, during the celebration of World Environment Day recently. A study conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society showed that habitat loss forces animals to move to areas populated by people, who become exposed to the pathogens of animals that in turn spread viruses. Scientist cited as example the Ni...

            Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, said the enactment into law of Senate Bill No. 1318 that amends Republic Act No. 10068 (The Organic Agriculture Act of 2010) will provide the much-needed impetus to support the growth of organic agriculture in the country.               The said legislation, passed on Third Reading in the Senate on June 1, will put in place a more affordable and accessible system of certifying organic products, the Participatory Guarantee System or PGS.             “We have huge potential in organic agriculture but our local organic farmers are disadvantaged because they cannot have their produce or products labelled as organic due to the prohibitive cost of certification. PGS is the solution to that, it will make them more competitive,” said Villar.             According to her, ...

With the onslaught of COVID-19 pandemic and the probable occurrence of other emerging infectious diseases in the near future, Sen. Cynthia Villar is pushing for the expansion of the Las Pinas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center (LPGH & STC). During the Senate Committee on Health hearing held May 26, Villar pushed for the passage of Senate Bill 143 which earmarks P500 million to increase the bed capacity of LPGH & STC from  200 to 500. The counterpart measure at the House of Representatives was authored by Las Pinas Rep. Camille Villar and passed on March 2. “Given the health emergency we have today, it becomes imperative to improve our hospitals and health facilities. Increasing the capacity of LPGH & STC will greatly benefit patients in South of Manila and nearby cities and municipalities of Cavite,” Villar said. During the hearing, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said he is supporting the measure along with other bills increasing hospital bed capacities ...

            Senator Cynthia Villar is earmarking P500 million this year to fund the expansion of the Las Piñas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center (LPGH & STC) in order to increase its bed capacity from the present 200 to 500 beds. The construction of the additional eight-storey building is slated to be finished next year.             Villar has filed Senate Bill No. 143 to implement the increase in the bed capacity of LPGH & STC and upgrade its service facilities and professional healthcare services. The proposed bill is set for committee hearing in the Senate on May 26. The House Bill No. 6036 authored by Congw Camille Villar was passed March 2, 2020.             The senator also channelled P144 million last year to LPGH & STC to purchase land and start building construction. She cited there is an urgent need to expand and upgrade public hospitals and health facilities in the...

Senator Cynthia Villar has apologized for her remarks on the distribution of financial assistance to the middle class. Villar issued a statement of apology on May 20 after she questioned the giving of cash aid to the middle class during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that the middle class still receive their salaries even during lockdown, that's why they do not need financial assistance. Her remarks did not sit well with the members of the middle class. The full statement of Senator Villar: "The middle class are the backbone of the Philippine economy and I recognize the workers’ contributions to the country and their families; "The intention of my questions yesterday was to clarify reports about the middle class workers who remain employed but have been included as among the beneficiaries of the Social Amelioration Program of the government.; "Congress has intended the SAP funds to benefit the poor and the unemployed. Lawmakers made sure that we were clear about the...

                         Senator Cynthia Villar has batted for stricter implementation of environmental laws especially on protected areas that serve as natural habitats to wildlife and even endangered animals, thus contribute significantly to biodiversity.              Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources cited that the continuous destruction of wildlife habitats and biodiversity loss contribute to the spread of infectious diseases.             “The fact that they are called protected areas should already warn people about their importance. They are the natural habitats of wildlife, which should not be damaged or destroyed, but protected instead, not only for the animals’ sake but for our sake as well,” said Villar.             Destruction of natural habitats has been linked to the spr...

As many people stay inside their homes in compliance with government measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 cases, people has turned to home gardening as a way to stay productive while passing time. Sen. Cynthia Villar, advocate of urban gardening, couldn’t be more pleased with this development and referred to the blossoming of home agriculture as one of the positive outcomes brought about by the quarantine measures. Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture and Food and director of the Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance (Villar SIPAG), built farm schools in Las Pinas and San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan, to promote agriculture in urban areas. The first Villar SIPAG farm school inaugurated in 2015 is located in a 4-hectare lot in the boundary of Las Piñas City and Bacoor. The San Jose Del Monte Farm School, which opened in October 2016, sits in a 4-hectare land in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. Both schools have training areas,  dormitories, f...

Senator Cynthia Villar has expressed support to the recommendation of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin E. Diokno for the government to provide ‘emergency employment’ to Filipinos to stimulate the country’s so-called ‘new economy’ and to ease the effects of the pandemic to people. According to Diokno, as the government moves into the next phase of the road to the ‘New Economy’ it should focus on a quick disbursing, employment- creating program. The former budget secretary said the budget can be increased by a percentage or two, equivalent to ₱200 billion to ₱400 billion that could be used for emergency employment and create two million jobs. “I agree with BSP Chief Diokno that our next priority after the health and safety of our people is providing employment to as many Filipinos as possible. That’s what people need right now to feed their families,” said Villar. The senator has earlier recommended the opening of labor-intensive sectors such as agriculture, constructi...

Sen. Cynthia Villar has added her voice to the growing support for the proposal to place parts of Metro Manila under general community quarantine after May 15. Villar said the Metro Manila Council and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases should consider the lifting of enhanced community quarantine especially in localities identified as low and moderate risk in terms of number of COVID-19 cases. “I agree that we should start re-opening the economy and begin the implementation of new normal measures in Metro Manila areas that have been successful in keeping their COVID-19 cases under control,” Villar said. The senator also added that the prolonged ECQ is already taking its toll on the economy and employment situation in the country and causing distress among workers and their families. “We all know that the government cannot provide assistance to everybody affected by this public health emergency. We should now start re-opening the economy with h...

          As a proponent of vegetable gardening or backyard farming, Senator Cynthia Villar is pleased that Filipinos now have a better appreciation and increased interest in growing their own food during the ongoing community quarantine.           “I am glad that more people are now seeing the benefits of planting vegetables in their own backyard. And I hope the growing interest will continue even after the quarantine is lifted,” said Villar.           Senator Villar, the current chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, has long been advocating all forms of farming to ensure food self-sufficiency and security. She encourages people from all walks of life—the youth, OFWs, barangay residents and even drug surrenderees, to plant vegetables.           She has in fact several programs and projects that support her advocacy. She initiated the putting up of vegetable gardens in her h...

Aside from vegetable seeds, Sen. Cynthia Villar also distributed compost to help home gardeners grow healthy plants. Buoyed by the popularity of planting projects while on quarantine, Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, initiated the distribution of compost, an organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow. “While we have already convinced people to start planting, we might as well teach them how to plant the organic way,” Villar said. Villar noted that the use of compost reduces the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides as it enriches and conditions the soil. In Las Pinas and the Villar SIPAG farm schools, Villar’s composting projects continue to operate. It involved the collection of kitchen and garden waste. In Las Pinas, about 70 tons of compost are produced and given out to farmers in nearby localities. In addition to providing help to frontliners by donating food and protective equipments, Villar has included in her ...

Sen. Cynthia Villar has included in her relief efforts to help communities under the enhanced community quarantine the distribution of vegetable seeds to encourage home gardening and growing of own food. Villar, chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, started the distribution of packed seeds of tomato, eggplant, pumpkin, ampalaya, sweet pepper, hot pepper, corn, sitaw, and mungbean to 61 different barangays in Las Pinas, Cavite and Bulacan. “I’ve always advocated for home gardening as a strategy for food security and for the alleviation of nutrient deficiency. It will be a big help for families to have direct access to nutritious foods that they don’t have to buy,” Villar said. The lady senator also said home gardening can be practiced by anybody in small patches of land, vacant lots or in containers, making it appealing to families living in urban areas. She added that the importance of home gardens are also stressed in times of emergencies like typhoon, volcanic ...

Senator Cynthia Villar is hitting two birds with one stone in her latest effort to help Filipinos amidst the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) crisis in the country. She is distributing face masks to all barangays in her home city of Las Piñas, which are sewn by a group of women in Cavite. “We are helping prevent the spread of Covid-19 in our barangays, at the same time, we are able to provide a source of income for some women in Cavite, which as the rest of the country, is in enhanced community quarantine or lockdown”, said Senator Villar. Prior to this, Senator Villar has distributed bottled drinking water, rice and other relief goods to the city’s barangays. Her family also provides the daily meals and temporary housing of frontliners of the Las Pinas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center. A total of 4,400 cloth face masks will be done and distributed to 22 barangays in Las Piñas. The women who will sew them will be paid for the face masks. They will also be sewing PPE (p...

As part of the relief effort of the Villar family to help the people badly affected by the COVID-19 crisis, packs of bottled drinking water were donated to the Department of Health recently. Frontliners in different hospitals in Metro Manila are the target beneficiaries of said donation.

Workers of community-based livelihood projects continue to have a source of income while complying with the restrictions of the enhanced community quarantine, Sen. Cynthia Villar said. Villar, chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Food and Environment and Natural Resources, said community-based livelihood projects help workers have a steady source of income amid the implementation of quarantine measures. In Las Pinas, livelihood projects continue its operation including handicraft and blanket weaving, coconet weaving, plastic chairs production, organic fertilizer production, engineered bamboo production, citronella massage oil making, handmade waterlily paper making, urban vegetable gardening, urban aquaculture, and organic livestock raising. These projects are some of the livelihood projects Villar helped establish in over 7,000 locations nationwide. “Our workers need not worry about losing their income during the COVID 19 crisis because these community-based livelihoo...

Despite the enhanced community quarantine being imposed in Luzon and other parts in the country, Sen. Cynthia Villar said proper handling of waste products can still be done. Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, said it is important that garbage collection and recycling efforts continue in order to prevent additional health and sanitation woes. “We continue to generate waste even if we are under quarantine. Garbage will pile up if these are not collected and overwhelm our landfills if not properly segregated and recycled,” Villar said. The lady senator also added that used masks and gloves can easily mix with household waste when these should be treated as hazardous wastes. Villar urged local government officials to implement environmentally-sound practices alongside measures battling the spread of COVID-19. In her home city of Las Pinas, Villar said composting and recycling facilities continue operating to properly manage the city...

 Senator Cynthia Villar is joining nationwide efforts to provide much-needed support in the country’s fight versus the coronavirus or COVID-19 by turning over three buildings that her family built and donated for the temporary use of the Las Piñas General Hospital (LPGH) as extension of its facilities, temporary housing for healthcare workers and/or quarantine facility. On top of that, the Villar family will also take care of the daily food needs of the staff of the Las Pinas General Hospital. The said buildings are one of the two buildings of the Las Piñas Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center and the buildings of the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines (VMLP) and the Provincial Board Members’ League (PBML)— all are located in Barangay Ilaya, Las Pinas City.  “We are sharing the rooms and facilities of the said buildings to the Las Piñas General Hospital to provide their healthcare workers with a convenient temporary accommodation, so they don’t have ...

Sen. Cynthia Villar lauded the evolving concept of women empowerment in the country, which is not only confined in empowerment versus violence and other forms of abuse. During the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountant (PICPA) First Women Summit, Villar said livelihood opportunities enabled women to achieve financial independence or economic empowerment. As a legislator and social entrepreneur, Villar helped establish livelihood opportunities in about 7,000 locations around the country benefitting mostly women.

Sen. Cynthia A. Villar and daughter, Las Pinas Rep. Camille Villar led the "Takbo Para sa Kalikasan" in celebration of the 6th Las Pinas-Zapote River Festival recently. The 'run for a cause' was being sponsored by the Villar SIPAG where the senator sits as director, to instil public awareness in cleaning our river and maintaining a healthy environment.