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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 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...

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...

Being the “first responders,” Sen. Cynthia Villar recognized the need to train barangay tanod (village watchmen) on the different processes  and means of conducting surveillance and keeping watch, responding to calamities and emergencies, among  others. Along this line, the Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance (Villar SIPAG), in partnership with the Las Pinas police, sponsored a crime prevention skills enhancement training for barangay tanod.

The Villar SIPAG (Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance) Foundation has again acknowledged the important role of the youth sector in significantly reducing poverty in the country and improving the lives of many poor families. An the 2nd Villar SIPAG Youth Poverty Reduction Challenge, the Foundation gave due recognition to 10 outstanding youth organizations for their unique and innovative solutions and undertakings to address poverty in impoverished communities. 2ND VILLAR SIPAG YOUTH AWARDS - Senator Cynthia Villar poses with the winners of the 2nd Villar SIPAG Youth awards held in Las Pinas City last July 27. The 10 outstanding youth groups (seated from left): Rayjand Gellamucho - Youth first initiative Philippines Inc., Ma. Arlene P. Toledo - Tigbao 4th Club 3, Rafael Dionisio - The circle hostels tribes and treks and the plastic solution, Reymark P. Marcos- Monteverde 4-H Club, Kyle Isaac Tan Kua - Adopt A Barangay, Metodia B. Maraguinot- Youthlead Philip...

Senator Cynthia Villar turns 68 today, July 29, as she makes simple wishes on her birth anniversary "Lahat ng tao gusto natin good health at saka sana marami pa tayong maibigay na hanap-buhay sa ating mga kababayan," says Villar, during an interview at the 13th Waterlily Festival held at the Villar SIPAG compound in Las Pinas City last July 27. (We all want good health. Hopefully, there will be more jobs for the people). Despite being the richest member of the Senate, the senator usually marks her birthday in a quiet way. "Bihira siya magbigay ng malaking party. She's very simple. Usually pag birthday niya, dinner lang sila ng family niya, as in," a source says. (She seldom throws big party on her birthday. It's always a quiet dinner with her family). The same source also says that the senator celebrated her birthday in advance through the 13th Las Pinas Waterlily Festival last July 27. It was during this event that her friends, members of the...

Waterlily-inspired gowns and costumes and waterlily-made handicraft brought splashes of color and vibrant life to this year’s celebration of the 13th Las Piñas Waterlily Festival held at the Villar SIPAG grounds in Las Piñas City last July 27. The annual festivity, a brainchild of Las Piñas daughter Sen. Cynthia A. Villar, was packed with families and foreign and local tourists who flocked to the city to marvel at the exhibit display of creative and innovative water lily products and to participate in the handmade paper demonstration using the versatile aquatic blooms.  Sen. Cynthia Villar (center) poses with the winners of the Miss Water Lily Festival 2018 now on its 13th year. The winners are Arlyn Claire M. Sangab of Barangay Pamplona 1 who won the grand trophy and P20,000 cash; Rebecca Kirsten S. Lopez of Barangay. Talon 4, 1st runner-up who got P15,000 cash and Rojielen Angela Autencio of Barangay. Pulanglupa 1, 2nd runner-up who got P10,000 cash. Patricia Mariel R. ...

The best cooks in the 20 barangays of Las Piñas City got together recently to showcase their best dishes and desserts for the annual cooking competition that kicked off the festivities for the city’s 2018 Food Festival. Sen. Cynthia A. Villar welcomed the participants as she lauded them for going the extra mile in using modern techniques to make original and sumptuous culinary creations that display the Filipinos’ imaginative minds and innovative skills. ‘Filipinos are popular for their ingenuity. We are known for our ability to replicate foreign dishes and changing their tastes by introducing local ingredients to give them the unique flavors of the Philippine islands. Through this cooking competition, residents of Las Piñas City become gastronomic witnesses to the creativity of our local cooking experts,‘ said Villar, director of the Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance (Villar SIPAG). The senator said the cooking competition is a friendly contes...

Music lovers flocked to Las Piñas City to enjoy the symphony of voices from all over the country in the 4th Las Piñas Chorale competition sponsored by the Villar SIPAG (Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance). Amid the day’s melodies and tunes, Sen. Cynthia A. Villar expressed delight over the animated participation of choral groups nationwide in the annual competition, where seven groups showcased their talents in singing. ‘My heart is filled with pleasure over the successful turnout of this event. In a nation where technology has been the raging trend, it is heartwarming to see so many people immensely enjoying the music of these choral groups. This is a rare but welcoming sight,’ said Villar, who is the Managing Director of Villar SIPAG.                                                              Wit...

Senator Cynthia Villar led the inauguration of the 4th phase of the Zapote River Drive road project, which is projected to cut the travel time to and from the city of Las Pinas by 60 percent, and at the same time address flooding concerns plaguing the city government. Villar was joined by DPWH Sec. Mark Villar, Mayor Imelda Aguilar, other local government and barangay officials, and homeowners of different subdivisions in Las Pinas. “We would like to thank the DPWH for swiftly addressing our concerns of traffic and constant flooding in Las Pinas through this project. Through this new road, we are certain of a shorter and a more convenient travel time for the people of Las Pinas and for all those who travel to and from our city. More importantly, this new road and other road infrastructure developments will make Las Pinas more attractive to investors,” the senator said. She likewise expressed confidence the road project will reduce, if not totally stop, incidents of floodin...

Sen. Cynthia Villar lauded the flourishing partnership between private and public organizations to clean and protect Manila Bay on the occasion of the celebration of January as Zero Waste Month. Villar, chairperson of the committee on environment and natural resources, made this statement during the clean-up activity of the Manila Bay Sunset Partnership Program Inc. (MBSPPI) at the Las Pinas-Paranaque Wetland Park. “Obviously, our waste problem has reached alarming levels that government efforts are not enough to clear our coastal areas of plastic debris. This now calls for a concerted effort between public and private organizations to significantly reduce wastes,” Villar said. Villar also cited a University of Georgia study showing that the Philippines ranked third, next to China and Indonesia, among 192 countries surveyed, in terms of estimated volume of mismanaged plastic wastes that could potentially enter the bodies of water. She commended MBSPPI for conducting ...

Senator Cynthia Villar commended the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for the launching of a program that will make passport applications more accessible to Filipinos. Passport on Wheels (POW), which was initiated by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, was launched at Villar SIPAG in Las Pinas and served about 1,500 applicants. “The reforms we are now seeing at DFA such as the opening of more appointment slots and this POW project seek to address concerns about passport applications and consular services to Filipinos,” Villar said. Villar, who was guest of honor during the event, was principal sponsor of Republic Act 10928 or the law extending to 10 years the validity of passports in her capacity as then vice chair of the Committee on Foreign Relations. The law amended Section 10 of Republic Act 8239 or the Philippine Passport Act of 1996 extending the validity of regular passports from five years to a period of 10 years. For individuals under 18 years of a...

WITH only a few days left before Christmas, Las Pinas residents once again showcased their creative whiz with their amazing giant lanterns for the 12th Parol Festival, now an annual event in the city and eagerly participated in by Las Pineros. Participating parols in the festival were made with recycled materials and followed the required 8 ft x 8 ft size. The Parol Festival was a brainchild of Sen. Cynthia A. Villar when she was still Las Piñas congresswoman in a bid to boost the city's parol-making industry by organizing the “Samahang Magpaparol ng Las Pinas" and the Las Pinas Parol Center which has since served as the training area for lantern makers. “It felt right at that time to help my constituents to provide them with the venue not only to showcase their talents but to also encourage residents, especially promising entrepreneurs, to venture into parol making which is a highly lucrative industry. And 12 years today, we have given birth to hundreds of creati...