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Senator Cynthia Villar has decided to participate the Senate sessions through teleconferencing to keep her safe from the threats of COVID-19. Villar made the decision in a statement she released on May 3, one day before the Senate resumes its session today, May 4. Her full statement: "I will not be attending sessions physically, but I will participate in Senate proceedings through teleconferencing; "Manny and I are staying at home to be safe. Through the help of our faithful staff, who are living with us temporarily, I have been doing my work continuously. And Manny is managing our business online. I can take the risk, but Manny cannot. He is managing a very big organization with thousands of employees and workers. The companies need him because of a predicted economic recession; "We have experienced recessions in 1983 and 1997. Like before, Manny has to manage the business to overcome the present challenges; "There are people like us who can opt to ...

Dr. Paul Connett, a well-known author and foreign expert on waste management paid, a courtesy call to Sen. Cynthia A. Villar in her Senate office. Connett of EcoWaste Coalition and Villar, chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources share the same advocacy of caring for the environment. Joining them were Sonia Mendoza of Mother Earth, Paul Connet, an expert on zero waste management, Glenn Ismael Ymata, senior campaigner of No Burn Pilipinas; and Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator of Eco-waste Coalition.

After dominating the Senate race with more than 25 million votes, Sen. Cynthia Villar was formally proclaimed as a duly-elected Senator in the May 13 midterm elections. Based on the votes officially tallied by the Commission on Elections en banc sitting as the National Board of Canvassers, Villar led the 12 candidates for senator who got the biggest number of votes. "I am very thankful for this opportunity to continue serving our people as a senator. Makakaasa po ang ating mga kababayan na sulit ang tiwala na binigay nila sa akin,” Villar said. Villar was accompanied by her husband, former Senate President Manny Villar and their children during the proclamation ceremonies at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. The Nacionalista Party Senator said she hopes to retain the chairmanship of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, which puts her in “a better position to advance legislation that will ensure affordable and adequate supply of food for a...

A day after the conduct of the midterm elections, re-electionist Senator Cynthia Villar thanked voters who gave her an early lead in the partial and unofficial tally of votes for the Senate race. “Hindi pa po tapos ang bilangan pero natutuwa po ako at nagpapasalamat dahil marami sa ating kababayan ang sumusuporta at naniniwala na isa ako sa mga Senador na makakatulong sa kanila,” Villar said. Based on the partial and unofficial vote tally covering 93 percent of votes cast, Villar is leading the Senate race with more than 24 million votes. “I also wish to congratulate the voters who really make it a point to fulfill their civic duty na makaboto despite the difficulties and inconveniences of finding their precincts and enduring long lines,” Villar said. Reports say the voter turnout was at 70 percent or 44.7 million out of the 63.6 million registered voters. While commending authorities for the generally peaceful conduct of elections, the senator however expressed regret o...

Two weeks before the elections, re-electionist Cynthia Villar is now the leading senatorial candidate based on the latest survey conducted by Pulse Asia. Villar vows to work harder if she wins the national elections once again as she thanks her supporters in her fresh Senate bid. Her full statement in Pilipino: "Ako po ay nagagalak sa resulta ng Pulse Asia Survey na nagpapakita na maraming Pilipino ang nagsasabing ako ang unang una nilang iboboto para Senador ng Pilipinas, "Ako po ay nagpapasalamat sa kanila, marahil nagugustuhan nila akong iboto dahil nagugustuhan nila iyong mga proyekto kong itinatayo para sa hanap buhay, 'Marami pong salamat sa ating mga kababayan at makakaasa kayo na pagbalik ko sa Senado ipagpapatuloy ko po ang pagtatayo ng mga hanap buhay para sa pamilyang Pilipino."

Saying more Filipinos should be able to afford healthy and safe organic products, Sen. Cynthia Villar urged her colleagues in the Senate to pass the bill that will provide for a more affordable system of organic certification. Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, sponsored Senate Bill No. 2203 under Committee Report No. 625, which amends Republic Act 10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010. The Organic Agriculture Act requires the certification of organic farms of small farmers by a third-party certifier to facilitate labeling and marketing of products to markets. However, farmers find the cost of third party certification with the tag price ranging from P42,000 to 150,000 per crop, valid for only one year, to be exorbitant.  “The high cost of certification creates a very big barrier for small farmers to overcome preventing them to participate, which ultimately hurts the growth and development of the organic movement,” Villar said. 1 7T...

Senatorial bet Dan Roleda’s life has always been linked to the entertainment industry. The 61-year-old lawyer and former Manila Councilor (fourth district, Sampaloc, Sta. Mesa, 1992-1998), party list representative under ANG LAKAS NG BAGONG KOOPERATIBA (ALAB) 1998-2001, and Presidential Adviser for Foreign Investments (2001-2010), worked very closely with award-winning director and fellow Waray Chito Rono in the early ‘80s to uplift industry standards.        As Manila Councilor and President of the Philippine Councilors League, Kaibigan Dan authored and passed the Amended Amusement Tax Law in 1995 that primarily protected movie producers. The amended law ensures transparency in the ticket sales for the correct collection of the said tax by local government units, and at the same time allows movie producers accurate data on box office sales.      The law made mandatory the use of transparent ticket boxes that we now see today in all thea...

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. ...

Sen. Cynthia A. Villar has underscored the pressing need to end the prevalent problem of plastic pollution all over the country, as she highlighted the worsening threat of plastic waste leakages to the country’s wildlife and marine resources. Villar, who is the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, rallied for expanded national efforts to dramatically reduce, if not totally stop, plastic use as an initial solution to end plastic waste pollution throughout the country, especially in urban areas where plastic products are regularly used as packaging materials. ‘The use of plastic products over the years has taken its grim toll on our natural resources. Our marine waters are choking from plastic wastes that have been dumped into our waters. We are ranked third next to China and Indonesia in terms of estimated volume of mismanaged plastic wastes produced by the population that could potentially enter the seas and oceans,’ Villar lamented e...